Just to spice things up a little – Here’s an article about how to redo your bedroom to make things more frisky!

Some of the suggestions are pretty obvious, like include candles or satin sheets.  But the author also give some very sensible advice:  Make sure your bedroom is a place that you and your partner are comfortable and relaxed.  You don’t have to follow anyone else’s idea of romance but your own!

Tags: bedroom, redecorating, romance

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 31st, 2008 at 2:17 pm and is filed under Bedrooms. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Here’s more discussion about how various faucet companies stand behind their products.

Tags: customer service, Faucets

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 at 2:53 pm and is filed under Bathrooms, Kitchens. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

I noticed over the past couple of months that we had been developing dark stains on our Formica countertop near our coffee maker. I don’t know what my husband’s been up to (it had to be him after all)! Or whether it has to do with the can of coffee we’re using or the hot coffee cup or actual coffee spills. We developed one dark ring and a couple of other marks.

Today my black tin for loose tea made a mark on the countertop too – so I decided I’d better try to tackle these problems. The first thing that came to mind was lemon juice – since I knew that bleach was a problem with Formica. I’m also trying to use more environmentally friendly products when possible.

So I took out our lemon juice. It’s called Nellie & Joe’s Famous Key West Lemon Juice – Double Strength. It has lemon juice in it and lemon oil from concentrate.

A tin of tea and some lemon juice!

I poured some of the lemon juice onto a paper towel and rubbed it on the tin mark. Nothing happened. Then I went over to the coffee marks and rubbed some lemon juice on them. It looked like they were starting to fade. So I used some more. After a couple of minutes repeating this procedure – I noticed that it actually worked! I got rid of all the stains in the coffee maker area. Then I decided to try again where the tin was. After reapplying the juice a couple of times – it worked too! I got rid of all the stains naturally – with a little elbow grease and lemon juice. Try it out!

If you’d like to share your tricks for cleaning out stains on countertops, feel free to comment below…

Tags: cleaning, Countertops, environmentally friendly household products, formica, green cleaning, lemon juice

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 at 8:32 am and is filed under Countertops, Green Homes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Here’s an interesting discussion about bathroom tiles.

Tags: Bathroom tiles, tiles

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 at 5:50 am and is filed under Bathrooms. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

I renovated my kitchen and bathroom 2 ½ years ago. Recently I’ve had problems with my bathroom faucet and my kitchen soap dispenser. I figured this would be a good test to see whether or not the 2 faucet companies would stand behind their products.

My bathroom faucet is from Pegasus. I purchased it at my local Home Depot store. The handle broke off.

Our Pegaus Faucet, with the broken handle.

My kitchen sink is a Delta that I purchased from Home Depot Expo. The built-in soap dispenser broke.

Our Delta Faucet

I didn’t have product numbers easily at hand, so one day when I was in Home Depot I figured I’d ask about the Pegasus and how to replace the handle. The salesperson there wasn’t too helpful, so I decided my best course of action was to consult the internet.

First I found Delta’s website, which led me to their customer support page :

They also list their phone number 1-800-345-3358 to call for help.

When I called, I got a very polite man who walked me through the type of faucet I have and finally figured out which one it was. Then he had me describe what was wrong with the soap dispenser and told me what part I needed. Then he told me I’d receive it free of charge within 7 – 10 business days. And I did!

Next I went to Pegasus’ web site. For some reason their customer service page leads to Home Depot’s site. When I called Home Depot’s web number they gave me a number for Pegasus’ customer service: 1-888-328-2383.

I called Pegasus and they walked me through the type of faucet I have. We finally figured it out together. He told me the same thing – he’d send me the part free of charge – which I did soon receive. My only complaint with that one is that now I have to hire someone to put in the handle.

Other than that, I’d say that both companies passed the test with flying colors!

Both Delta and Pegasus stand behind their faucets.

Feel free to share any experiences you’ve had with faucets in the comments below…

Tags: customer service, Delta, Faucets, Pegasus

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 at 11:32 am and is filed under Bathrooms, Kitchens. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Here’s an article in the New York Times about the reality of renovating.

Sometimes it seems like a good choice to buy a “fixer upper” home. Save money and get it up to speed yourself! But then you find yourself living in one room for months (or years!) surrounded by half finished walls and clouds of dust…

Before you try a project like that, make sure you know what you’re getting into!

Tags: fixxer-upper homes, Taking on too much, the reality of renovating

This entry was posted on Monday, July 28th, 2008 at 11:02 pm and is filed under Mistakes, Remodeling overview. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Here’s an article from Reader’s Digest that discusses a how to install granite tile countertops in your kitchen. They’re a much cheaper alternative to stone.

But if you choose to go that route, beware that you’ll have to work a little harder to keep the grout between the tiles clean!

Tags: Countertops, Granite Cabinets, Granite Tiles, Kitchen Cabinets, kitchens

This entry was posted on Monday, July 28th, 2008 at 9:57 am and is filed under Countertops, Kitchens. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Merillat has some helpful layouts of different types of kitchen work triangles.

They divide they possibilities into Corridors, Pennisulas and L-Shaped types.

It’s great to see the different choices diagrammed!

Tags: kitchens, Work Triangles

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 27th, 2008 at 9:01 am and is filed under Kitchens. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

As if we all didn’t have enough to worry about! Radon, a dangerous radioactive element, has been found in some granite countertops.

From the New York Times:

Where to Find Tests and Testers

To find a certified technician to determine whether radiation or radon is emanating from a granite countertop, homeowners can contact the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists (aarst.org). Testing costs between $100 to $300.

Information on certified technicians and do-it-yourself radon testing kits is available from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Web site at epa.gov/radon, as well as from state or regional indoor air environment offices, which can be found at epa.gov/iaq/whereyoulive.html. Kits test for radon, not radiation, and cost $20 to $30. They are sold at hardware stores and online.

Tags: Countertops, home dangers, Radon

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 24th, 2008 at 1:05 pm and is filed under Countertops, Dangers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

If you’re interested in Blanco Kitchen sinks, you can find a bunch of photos of them here.

Tags: Blanco Kitchen Sinks, Kitchen Sinks, kitchens

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008 at 6:35 pm and is filed under Kitchens. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.