5 Ways to Make Your Home Smell Fresh and Clean.

(Family Features) A clean and inviting home doesn’t just look tidy, it smells pleasantly refreshing, too. However, running a household can be a stinky business and it may take some special effort to make your living spaces feel more welcoming.

Consider these sensible ideas to improve the scents throughout your home:

Bring the Outside In

Fresh air is a terrific option for banishing bad smells. Throwing open windows creates a cross breeze that can chase stale, musty air away in a hurry. You can also improve your air quality by adding house plants, which naturally help purify the air by absorbing pollutants and exchanging carbon dioxide for oxygen. Plants like jasmine, eucalyptus and gardenias also offer their own pleasant scents.

Refresh Soft Surfaces

Textiles and other soft surfaces throughout your home easily trap odor-causing bacteria, dust and other particles that can contribute to unsavory smells. That’s why it’s a good idea to regularly give the rugs, carpet, bedding, throw pillows, curtains and other soft surfaces throughout your home a deep cleaning. If you can’t machine wash an item, use a vacuum with a hose attachment to remove as many hidden particles as possible.

Install a Heated Towel Rack

Damp spaces like bathrooms are breeding grounds for bacteria. If you notice a musty smell in the bathroom but can’t pinpoint the source, it may be your towel. That’s especially true if, like many people, you reuse a towel several times before washing it. Hang-drying your towel may not be enough to chase away smell-inducing bacteria. However, the growth of bacteria is reduced on heat-dried towels by as much as 99%, according to a study commissioned by Amba Products. What’s more, in the study, a heat-dried towel produced a fresh smell over a seven-day period, whereas an unheated sample produced a musty odor by the fourth day.

With a variety of styles and finishes to fit almost any decor, the line of heated towel racks produces radiant heat to gently warm and dry towels. That can help eliminate moisture, resulting in less growth of mold and mildew. They also offer time, water and energy savings, plus some models come ready to use and take as little as 5 minutes to set up.

Simmer Fresh Aromas

If you need to add a pleasant scent in a hurry, such as just before hosting a special event for guests, consider simmering something that smells delicious on the stove. Simmering a blend of orange slices, cloves and cinnamon in a pot of water over low heat produces a subtle, pleasing scent that doesn’t overpower the room. Diffusers, candles and room sprays can also help add appealing smells in rooms that may need some extra attention.

Clean Common Culprits

Every household has some common culprits and, if you’re noticing smells, you may need to step up your game to keep these areas clean. Trash cans, litter boxes and pet beds all need regular attention that goes beyond the basics. Make a point of not only emptying the trash but also cleaning the trash can itself. Don’t just scoop the litter box. Replace the entire pan at least weekly. Strip and wash the exterior covering of pet beds and air out the cushion.

Keeping your home clean and smelling great does not have to be complicated. Maintaining a regular cleaning schedule and incorporating ways to purify and enhance the air can make the space more enjoyable. To get your home refresh started, visit ambaproducts.com.

Source: Amba Products.

Home offices inspiration.

International Lux Magazine share nice and modern home offices designs that can be an inspiration for all people that needs an adequate and pleasant space in their homes for works of office and now in this time of global sanitary emergency is also a form to have diverse economic activities without leave our houses.

Click HERE to see the designs of home offices.

Article shared by Carlos Eduardo Feijoo.

Founder, CEO and Editor of International Lux Magazine.

For request of preparation and publication of Special Articles for recognized or emergent personalities of the fashion, art, architecture, interior design, jewelry, etc click HERE for more information.

Room redesign? Start with the floor.

5 trusty tips for a room redesign (Hint: Start with the floors).

(BPT) - To change the look of any room, start with the floor. A beautifully finished hardwood floor adds warmth and charm — and the range of options available for hardwood floors today can truly transform a room. With choices from soft natural to cool gray to dark charcoal you can find the perfect shade for your renovation. The floor sets the tone for the room's overall appearance.
Don't know where to start? Here are a few tips to inspire a stunning redesign.

Choose an overall look

To help with your design choices, consider the overall feel of the room. Every design element — the floor stain, finish, wall color, furnishings and accents — should work together to enhance the mood and aesthetic. Do you want a soft and floral look? Sleek and modern? Cool and airy? The color palette and sheen of your hardwood finish will become the foundation for the feeling you're trying to evoke.

Get inspired

There's no shortage of resources to inspire your room design. From art galleries and Pinterest to nature itself, look for key colors, textures or items to inspire the new room design.
Next, get inspired by flooring options. Consider the collection of five customized style options crafted with a full range of stains, sealers, treatments and finishes from Bona.

For example, the Nordic Shimmer collection combines soft, natural tones that work well with whites and blues for a peaceful, comforting environment. This look complements furnishings with simple, clean lines. The New Modern collection offers rich, vivid tones to create a sense of urban luxury, in colors from white or walnut to charcoal. This style goes well with dramatic textures like glass, stone or shiny metal, and complements colors like green, rich gray or dark plum.

Other design collections include Garden Atmosphere, Malibu Dreams and Touch of Grace. Each option provides a suggested color palette and recommendations for furnishings.

Understand the process

Research the best tools and products for refinishing your hardwood floor. The process can be seamless and pleasant, or you can be left with a dusty, smelly mess. The first stage in refinishing a hardwood floor is sanding off the old finish with very light abrasion to reveal the natural wood underneath. This requires just the right grit level of abrasive, and typically takes more than one pass, using increasingly finer grit. It’s important that the wood is not over-sanded, to avoid damage. Look for a hardwood flooring professional that offers dustless sanding. Reducing the wood dust in your home not only makes clean-up a breeze, it's also healthier for your home.

Next comes the stain (color) and possibly sealer, depending on the look you're trying to achieve. Know that you can create custom colors, so take enough time to pick your perfect shade. The stain process may take a day or two as the stain sets and dries.

Finally, pick your finish. Today's hardwood floor finishes come in a wide range of sheens and durability levels. You can choose from a flat, natural matte finish to a shiny semi-gloss, and several sheens in between. Choose a waterborne finish to keep the home healthy.

Get creative

In addition to mixing stain colors for a custom blend, you can also get creative with how you treat the floors. Consider a wire brush technique to bring out the soft grain in the wood, or a distressed or scraped process for a more rustic charm.

Let the pros do it for you

The process of refinishing hardwood floors takes a high level of skill and experience — in many ways it's an art form. To make sure it’s done well, many homeowners choose Bona Certified Craftsmen — professionals who will help you choose from a range of products designed to protect and maintain your hardwood floors. The right professional will guide you to the best stain, finish or sealer to suit your hardwood species and create the desired look. They will also take into account the room's lighting and type of finish that is optimal for your room's level of foot traffic.

Let your floor be the guide for creating a beautiful new look for one room or your entire home. With a wide array of colors and textures, the possibilities are infinite.


Article shared from the website of the original publication : Brandpoint.(https://www.brandpointcontent.com)

Trend Watch: 2019 outdoor living and design trends for every homeowner.

(BPT) - Outdoor living continues to grow in 2019 as homeowners dream of adding spaces that provide tranquility, connection and touches of nature. More than just a home enhancement, these spaces are meant to inspire people to set digital devices aside and find moments of calm while making memories with friends and family.

Now is the perfect time to plan updates to outdoor living areas so as the seasons turn, you're ready to enjoy your outdoor space to the fullest. Joe Raboine, director of residential hardscapes at Belgard, offers his expert insight into top outdoor design trends of the year that you should consider for your home.

Blurring of indoor and outdoor areas

Beyond windows and patio doors, home designs are truly blending indoor and outdoor areas thanks to features like folding walls and collapsible screens. For example, imagine a family room that opens up completely to an outdoor patio for easy entertaining, made possible by retractable walls plus smart lighting and strategic heating and cooling sources for seasonal comfort. These types of integrated spaces make the backyard a one-of-a-kind extension of the home.

Clean lines and contemporary style

Modern lines are a top interior design trend and it is expanding into outdoor living spaces, offering a seamless visual transition. Contemporary style with clean lines, textures and shapes have taken over more traditional styles, particularly among younger homeowners. Modular, large-format pavers embrace this trend and are expected to continue to increase in popularity, with smoother textures gaining traction.

Monochromatic and “greige” tones

The contemporary trend also leans toward monochromatic color schemes. Gray continues to be popular, with the growing trend of “greige” — blends of gray and beige tones — poised to take off in 2019. These muted hues blend seamlessly with the landscape, plus they allow homeowners to use strategic pops of color with furniture and flowers to create customized spaces that reflect their personalities perfectly.

Outdoor kitchens and fire features

In an effort to make outdoor spaces an authentic extension of the home, livability is a priority. That means outdoor kitchens and fire features continue to be a top trend. Kitchen additions like pizza ovens are reflective of the foodie movement, while fire features using gas fuel rather than wood are reflective of the desire for convenience, plus they are a good fit for many municipal regulations.

Sustainability is king

As more homeowners are prioritizing green living, outdoor designs that become a part of the local ecosystem are in high demand. This could include planting to support pollinators and integrating edible landscape into the design. Water features are growing in popularity, used to add a tranquil element to outdoor spaces while masking unwanted sounds, such as traffic or other noise pollution.

Visualization of designs

Partnering with the right designer is key to achieving the outdoor space of your dreams. More homeowners are asking for 3D designs in order to properly conceptualize a space before it is brought to life through construction. Belgard Design Studio can take a simple sketch with dimensions and a few photos and turn it into a 3D rendering or virtual reality experience so homeowners can see the true potential of their outdoor space.

Small footprint designs

Outdoor living isn't just for homeowners with large properties. Houses with small footprints are adding impressive outdoor spaces in surprising places. This could be maximizing alleyway access, adding a courtyard to a small backyard, or shifting the focus by utilizing the front yard to create a patio and fireplace area. If you long for an outdoor living space, don't let space constraints limit your dreams.

These 2019 outdoor living trends, in effect, will prove to create a year full of innovative outdoor projects that fit the needs of every homeowner.









Article shared from the web site of the original publication: Brandpoint.
 (https://www.brandpointcontent.com)