3 Tips for Cleaning your Shower Properly

Content originally published and Shared from http://perfectbath.com

To clean your shower properly, you must have the right tools, products and techniques. In this article we’ll discuss some tips for cleaning your shower properly, including: removing mildew, cleaning your shower curtain and clearing out the drain.

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Below are 3 tips for cleaning your shower properly:

Removing Mildew
Before you grab your favorite tub-and-tile spray cleaner, ventilate the room by opening a window or at least the door. Then work on the shower in three vertical sections — this will cut down on fumes and prevent the cleaner from drying before you wipe it. Spray the first section, covering both tile and tub, and give it a few minutes to penetrate (use the time to go get a cup for the next step). Now, spray the second section, and let it soak while you clean the first. With a wet scrubber sponge (i.e., one with a no-scratch scouring pad), wipe down the first area, using wide strokes to cover the most surface in the least time; rinse the sponge. Fill your cup with water and rinse the cleaned area. When the first section is done, spray the third section, then wipe and rinse the second, followed by the third. For any remaining grout stains, mix up one part bleach and two parts water in a spray bottle. Let it soak in for a few minutes. Turn on the shower for a minute so it can self-rinse, and give any outside-of-the-stream spots a quick splash with your cup. Source: GoodHousekeeping

Cleaning your Shower Curtain
Take it from the top: Pour an ample amount of white vinegar into a plastic grocery bag (enough to fully submerge the showerhead nozzle) and tie it in place for an overnight soaking. Remove it in the morning and run the water to rinse. Give plastic shower curtains and liners a spin in the washing machine with your regular detergent and a few old towels, which act as scrubbers to help get rid of soap scum and mildew. Rehang to dry. For shower doors, make a paste by adding a few drops of distilled white vinegar to a cup of baking soda; apply it directly to the door (it’s nice and thick, so it will stick). Let sit for an hour, then rub with a microfiber cloth. Rinse and buff dry with a fresh, dry microfiber cloth. The tub is less of an issue—a weekly scrubbing is usually enough. But for extra gleam, fill it with hot water, then drain. Apply a bathroom cleaner and let sit for 15 minutes before scrubbing.
Why: Besides the soap-scum issue, there’s the showerhead, which can harborMycobacterium avium, a pathogen linked to pulmonary disease. Gerba says that turning on a neglected shower can send millions of germs straight into your lungs.
Best practices: Wipe condensation from all surfaces after showering, and leave the window open for one hour a day to lower the room’s humidity level. Source: RealSimple

Clearing Out the Drain
This is quite possibly the worst part of the process, especially if you have long hair. Grab a garbage can or a plastic bag. Then unscrew the cap on your drain or just reach in, depending on the style of your drain. Using a large crochet hook or clip clothespin or (if you must) your fingers, yank the hair out and quickly throw it away. Yuck! Keep pulling the hair out until the drain is clear. Better yet buy a Zip-It drain cleaning tool. Zip-It is a long plastic strip with teeth that get hairs stuck deep in the drain out. You may want to wear rubber gloves for this part, particularly if you share the shower with other people. There are just some hairs you don’t want to touch! Source: wikiHow

 

Contact:
Perfect Bath
Phone: Toll Free 1-866-843-1641
Calgary, Alberta
Email: info@perfectbath.com

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Common Types of Curtain Rods for Window Treatment

There are different types of curtain rods that best fit a specific window treatment. In this short post we’ll cover some of the most common types of curtain rods for window treatments, such as: basic white metal rods, track and tension rods and decorative rods.

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Basic White Metal Rods
This is the Corn Flakes of the curtain rods. They’re sometimes called valance and come in flat and round styles. Most of these are somewhat lightweight and made for lighter weight window coverings. Today you can get them as single, double and even triple. The double and triple rods are used for a layered look, like a semi-sheer curtain behind a room darkening drape. With this you can add a valance to your layered coverings. Source: wikiHow

Track and Tension Rods
Track Rods: Drapery hooks attach to pulleys inside a track. Can be installed on a wall or the ceiling. Some tracks resemble a rod with finials, concealing all moving parts inside the pole. Curtains glide effortlessly.
Tension Rods: The easiest and cheapest but least sturdy option, it adjusts to fit inside a window frame with no hardware. Barebones, it’s meant only for lightweight panels or café curtains. Source: RealSimple

Decorative Rods
Curtain panels trailing from a decorative rod are the most classic of treatments for any window configuration. Accentuate the architecture of multiple windows by suspending a narrow panel between each pane. For a bay window that projects beyond the room’s footprint, simply mount the rod on the foreground wall. Source: BHG

We hope this article will be able to guide you in choosing curtain rods that can perfectly fit your window treatments. For more information, call us now!

Contact:
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601 – 1550 W. 10th Ave
Vancouver, V6J 1Z9
Canada
Phone: (604) 559-1988

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4 Tips for Choosing Carpet for Each Part of Your Home

Carpet can bring beauty, warmth, and comfort to any room in your home, but choosing which carpet is right for a certain area can be challenging. Fortunately, we’ll discuss some tips for choosing the right carpet that best fits each room in your home.

Image Source: Flickr

Below are 4 tips for choosing carpet for each part of your home:

Bedroom

People put a lot of stock into having hardwood flooring throughout the house, but the truth is, it’s not the comfiest on bare feet in the morning. If you’re redoing your room, Forte says you should go for a premium plush, super-soft carpet. If you already have hardwood, you can still create that cozy vibe: “I love the look and feel of a gorgeous alpaca or silk-and-wool rug over hardwood flooring in the bedroom to create a luxurious retreat,” says Buckingham. Source: GoodHouseKeeping

Family Room

Consider the size of family or amount of foot traffic, the presence of pets and how long you want the floor to last.

With these things in mind, choose from among hardwoods, tile or carpet. The first two options hold up best under high-traffic, but if you have a small family, carpet does just as well. According to Tom Silva of This Old House magazine, carpet is especially great for . . . anywhere you may like to spend a lot of time barefoot.”

If you end up going with carpet, opt for a sculpted finish in a darker color in case of stains. Color schemes for these rooms should also connect with those of neighboring rooms, including the kitchen. Source: KSL

Dining Room

A dining room rug is the backdrop for family gatherings and holidays.

“When choosing carpet for the dining room, I insist on a cut pile wool carpet,” says de Biasi. “With all that dragging of chairs across it and potential food or wine spills, it is the most user-friendly to clean and withstand wear.”

In this Colorado ski house, the dining room doubles as a playroom. Not only is the Gene Meyer cut wool pile carpet easy to clean, but it’s also soft for children to play on. Source: ElleDecor

Hallways and Stairs

For stairs and other high-traffic areas such as hallways, a low-profile, densely packed carpet can add to the life expectancy of carpet. Because of its resilience, nylon carpet is often recommended in pulled-down textures or level-loop constructions.

For stairs, the direction of the pile should run from the top of the stairs to the bottom (not sideways). This ensures better wear and also prevents noticeable gaps between fibers where the carpet bends over each step. Stairways that are open on one or both sides require the carpet to wrap around the outside edge of the staircase, presenting the possibility of a portion of the backing to show. Here, a higher-grade berber will work much better than a lower-grade option. Seams are also a concern on stairs, particularly where the carpet joins around posts. A longer pile such as frieze, tends to hide seams better than short or looped piles. Source: WFCA

Hopefully these tips will be able to assist you in choosing the right carpet for your needs and will ensure durability and comfort for your long-term satisfaction. For more information, contact us now!

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Challenge #210 Photo Inspiration

Woo hoo and happy Wednesday which means the start of a brand new challenge. Thank you for participating each week. Our designers work very hard to get their inspiration for you that it makes their day to see your entries in our gallery.

This week we have a photo to inspire you -

You may take any or all of the elements you wish from the photo. The colours, the design, the texture - it's up to you.

Our wonderful sponsor this week is

QKR Stampede and Eureka Stamps was purchased by Stamp On It in 2013 from the state of Colorado and moved to its new home in Michigan! We(Stamp On It) had its humble beginnings over 25 years ago and is now a mobile(on-the-road) family owned and operated business. We travel coast to coast and attend as a vendor over 25 retail stamping and scrapping shows each year. 

Blog: http://ift.tt/1UcbMCW

Prize: 3 digital images

Here is our inspiration for you -

Tanja

Asha

Amy

Rema

Emma

Helen

Martina

Željka

Shona

Over to you now. Please let us know how the photo inspired you to play along.

An InLinkz Link-up

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Yes, Shy Writers CAN Do In-Person Marketing

Are you an introvert? A lot of writers are. And I’m one of those shy writers.

You might think it’s a weakness that you’re not the super-social, outspoken type. Or that being an introvert leaves you nothing but low-paying crumbs to collect from mediocre clients. But that’s just not true.

I’m as guilty as the next introverted writer for postponing marketing at all costs to avoid social interaction. But a recent networking event made me realize that it’s time for introverts everywhere to rise up.

You can put your shy nature to work for you to make more contacts and land better clients. Seriously, you can do this.

If you’re an introvert like me, or you just want to get better at marketing, you can. When I learned how to handle marketing as an introvert, my business started to change.

I’ve had an influx of people interested in my services. I’ve been able to branch out to new markets. And I’ve been getting more inbound leads.

Shy writers: Here are four ways to get over your fears, stress less, and land more lucrative projects.

1. Listen for the sound of opportunity

At one networking event, I had someone ask me if I had ever thought about writing a book about myself instead of web content and blog posts for others. My response? “I’m a bit shy, so I prefer to tell other people’s stories.” This simple admission launched us into a conversation about book ideas. One guy in the group said he’s been thinking about writing a book for millennials interested in becoming entrepreneurs.

As he told me his stories, I tossed out a few ideas on how I would go about weaving his key points in with the vignettes he shared. From this conversation, I landed an important job lead and I’m now in contract negotiations for ghostwriting a book (my first!) for $10,000 over 5 months — all because I turned the focus back on telling other people’s stories.

2. Let your nametag do the work

People seem to assume writers are introverted. Put “Your Name, Writer” on your name tag and people will know a bit more about what they’re going to get when they approach you.

This simple little trick allowed one fellow networker to send several people my way. All evening I overheard him saying things like, “Oh really? You should go talk to her. She’s a writer.” All I had to do was stand there and I had a constant flow of people coming over to shake my hand and trade business cards.

You can also minimize how much you actually have to say by giving people in your vicinity a conversation starter. I added “http://ift.tt/2c9cuTw” to my nametag and found that other people were willing to do the work for me by starting a conversation with “Rairosewriting.com? What do you write?”

From there, I just had to deliver my elevator pitch (which I practiced religiously for two days before the event).

And I’ve been using this strategy ever since. At another networking event, my nametag helped me connect with a woman who runs a non-profit organization who needs help with grant writing. My proposal for the project was $7,500. She didn’t bat an eye, and now it’s just awaiting board approval.

3. Let your passion shine

There’s nothing wrong with being introverted, and I found that many business owners expect to have a diverse team of varying personality types. It’s OK to let them know you have a passion for your work, but you struggle with being outgoing.

Dropping a line like, “I’m not very comfortable with in-person marketing, but I sure know my way around email marketing campaigns,” is a great way to tie a conversation back to your skills and your work.

You then have a perfect segue into, “Could I send you some samples?”

Even though I consider myself an introvert, I love helping people and businesses succeed and establish authority in their field. If you think you need a go-get-em-extrovert approach to do this, think again. I’ve been able to grow my business by creating valuable content for free. And it’s helped generate a steady stream of leads from the type of clients I want to work with.

4. Acknowledge your nerves

If you’re feeling like a buzzing ball of nervous energy, let people know you’re out of your comfort zone. Oftentimes, people don’t even notice that you’re nervous, and they’ll say so.

Not only will their reassurances serve as a release valve on your nerves, but also you’ll show them that you’re willing to try new things for the sake of growing your — and their — business.

While shy writers can sometimes feel like their personality is a huge internal obstacle in the freelance world, it doesn’t have to be. Embrace who you are and don’t apologize for it.

Are you an introverted freelancer? Share your best strategy for conquering your fears in the comments.

Rai Rose Cornell is a freelance writer who helps businesses build reputations through value-packed content. She also runs the blog Be a Better Freelance Writer.

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Winners - Challenge #208

Time to announce our winners from our last challenge (#208 Holiday). We LOVE your participation and support of ATSM. The amazing entries we get in our gallery each week really makes it hard to choose our winners. But choose we must :)

On to our winners - 

Our 

HONOURABLE ADDICTS

#2 - Deborah Deruyck

#29 - Deborah Frings

#44 - Barb Ghig

Congratulations to you all. Please grab your badge to display on your blog. 

Our 

TOP ADDICT

and the winner of the prize from

is

#46 Maura

Congratulations Maura, please take your Winners Badge to post on your blog. 

Don't forget to claim your prize you must contact me at kyliepurtell@gmail.com within 5 days. 

Our current challenge is

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3 Ways to Remove Bathroom Mold

Content originally published and Shared from http://perfectbath.com

Knowing how to get rid of mold in showers, and keep it from returning, can save you both time and money. Here are 3 simple ways to remove bathroom mold.  Read on!

Image Source: Flickr

Scrub Away
To properly care for your bathroom and remove the mold from tile grout, you will need a good scrub brush and baking soda. To effectively scrub the mold away, treat the grout between tiles and the caulking with a paste made of water and baking soda. Leave on for as long as you need to—for example, very dirty grout can use an hour or two. Spray the tiles with water and use a scrub brush to clean the grout with a brisk back and forth motion. Rinse well and buff dry. Once you have scrubbed the grout, you can prolong your mold-removing efforts so that you do not have to use as much elbow grease next time! If your bathroom is not properly maintained between cleanings, it does not take long for mold to come back. In fact, think of mold prevention like oral care—we have to maintain our teeth to keep plaque away. Source: NaturallySavvy

Vinegar
Put mild white vinegar in a spray bottle without diluting it. Vinegar has a mild acidity, making anywhere you spray it very inhospitable for mold. Do not dilute the vinegar when placing it into the spray bottle; you want to use it at full-strength, not watered-down.
Spray the vinegar onto moldy surfaces and wait for an hour. If possible, let the bathroom air out during this time.
After an hour, wipe the area clean with hot water and dry the surface with a towel. Damp surfaces encourage mold growth, so be sure to wipe the area clean fully. After you have wiped the vinegar away, it should not smell anymore.
Use vinegar to prevent outbreaks of mold before they happen. Vinegar is reported to kill 82% of mold species, making it an exceptionally effective solution for preventing mold from inhabiting your bathroom like it owns the place. Plus, vinegar does not have any toxic fumes (like bleach) and is all-natural.

• Simply spray a bit of vinegar onto a mold-prone surface and leave it. If you do this regularly, mold will have a tough time growing, and you will not have to remove it in the first place. Source: wikiHow

Hot Water and Baking Soda
You’ll need one teaspoon of washing up liquid, one cup of baking soda, and a few drops of something fragrant (we recommend lavender or citrus oil). Then add water and mix until the solution becomes a viscous paste and you’re done – a natural black mould remover. Source: Cleanipedia

Contact:
Perfect Bath
Phone: Toll Free 1-866-843-1641
Calgary, Alberta
Email: info@perfectbath.com

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