Posts Tagged ‘Home and Garden’

Cleaning Tip of the Day – Laundry Tips 1

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

Herein Madonna shares some of her first tips for quickly, easily, safely and cost effectively cleaning, drying and ironing all of your laundry / clothes:

Tip for drying clothes:

Keeping a tension curtain rod or shower rod set up in the laundry room or in your shower makes it easy to hang your clothes up for drying. (and will also save you $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$)

Energy-Efficient ironing:

Put aluminum foil-Shinny side up- between the ironing board and the ironing board cover.

The aluminum foil will reflect the heat upward onto the garments you are ironing, so it will iron both-sides at one time save you time and energy.

Keeping ironing boards clean:

To keep your ironing board clean longer, spray the cover with spray starch and iron over it. This will let the iron move easier, and save your ironing board from wearing.

Pressing embroidery:

Lay the piece of embroidery face-down on a towel, and iron it on the reverse side.   That way, you won’t flatten the embroidery.

Handling large items:

Before you start ironing, turn the ironing board around so that you are using the wide end rather than the point.  You can cover more area if you iron this
way.

Fold items, such as large tablecloths, in half  and iron this way.   Fold items in half and iron one side, then fold in half again and iron the both sides.

Cashmere:

This is an expensive fiber that comes from the undercoat of cashmere goats.

Treat it with respect.

Dry-clean these prizes or hand-wash with care in cool water and well-dissolved gentle soap.   Rinse well, and do not wring. Dry flat, reshaping the garment as it dries. Iron on the wrong side while still damp with a cool iron, if necessary.

Down:

Down is the soft under feather of waterfowl that is often combined with adult feathers.  It is machine washable and dry-cleanable.  Just be sure to follow the care label closely.

Do not air-dry down. It dries too slowly, and mold or mildew in the process.

Dry down items in your dryer, or use a large capacity dryer if needed.  Set temperatures low (under 140 F) fluffing and turning the item often.

To remove butter or margarine:

Scrape off the solid concentration of butter with a dull edge, such as the back of a knife on washable fabrics, work in dishwashing liquid and wash.
(Do this only on washable fabrics)


Please Post / Share Your Tips for cleaning, drying and/or ironing your laundry and/or any of Your other Great Cleaning Tips here, ok?

and …

Please come back here for more of Madonna’s Tips on how to clean dry and/or iron your laurndry  and Please find More Madonna’Staging Cleaning Tips at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/topics/cleaning-tips/


and Yes Madonna’Staging will also Help You clean all of Your laundry as part of our comprehensive cleaning services!

Please find more information regarding and schedule to have Your Home and Laundry cleaned Today! at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/services/cleaning-services/


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7 Tips To Help Your Kids Get Organized

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Here are some of Madonna’s Tips regarding How To …

Help Your  Kids to get organized!!!!!!!!!

1) Let your child select some bright hangers in her favorite colors.  Clothes are less likely to end up on the floor that way.

2) A baseball cap holder is great for that little league enthusiast.

3) Everyone knows that an over the door shoe rack is great for shoes.  It’s also great for T-shirts, gym clothes, swimsuits, and dance gear.

4) Use plastic storage bins to hold clothes that aren’t used daily … and make sure to label them well.  If your child is too young to read, let him draw a picture so he or she knows what’s inside.

5) Encourage children to make use of all of the racks and shelves in their closets (the ones they can reach, anyway!).

6) Give each child their own colorful laundry hamper.

7) Remind them to put away their school clothes when they remove them, not several hours later when the wrinkles have had time to set in.

Remember parents that a habit takes at least two weeks to become a habit so keep reminding them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope this all Helps You and Your Children get More Organized for All of Your Benefit! :)

- Madonna


Please Post / Share Your Tips for Helping Kids Get Organized  and/or any of Your other Great Organizing Tips here, ok?

and …

Please come back here for more of Madonna’s Organizing Tips at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/topics/organizing-tips/

and …

Please Find More Information  about How I can and Contact Me to Help You and Your Kids Get More Organized at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/services/organizing-services/


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Cleaning Tip of the Day – Cleaning Lampshades

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

Madonna’s Cleaning Tip of the Day Today is How To Clean Lampshades:

Most of you probably ignore lampshades when you’re cleaning, …

but take it from me …

Lampshades are loaded with dust and dirt.

You need to treat each type of lampshade differently when you’re in cleaning mode so you don’t damage it.

Fabric-covered and stitched shades :

I find the easiest way to wash these shades is in the bathtub!

Put enough cool water in the tub to allow you to roll the shade on its side.

Add some mild soap or detergent.

Gently swirl the shade in the water and soap combination.

Drain the soapy water and rinse the shade with cool water, using the same swirling method.

Shake the shade gently to remove excess water and allow it to dry upright.

Drying can be speeded up by using the blow dryer. This works particularly well on the corded areas that are hard to dry.

Paper shades and shades with glue :

You can not wet paper shades or shades with glue, …

so …

Your best bet is to vacuum them frequently with the small brush on the vacuum sweeper.

Please Post / Share Your Tips for cleaning lampshades and/or any of Your other Great Cleaning Tips here, ok?

and …

Please come back here for more of Madonna’s Tips on how to clean your lampshades and Please find More Madonna’Staging Cleaning Tips at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/topics/cleaning-tips/


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What do You Think of the Results of this Landscaping Project?

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

We were asked by a friend to help her with the landscaping for her yard.

Madonna is also trained as a Master Gardener,  so …

As a favor to her we agreed to provide a landscape design for the front of the property and part of the back.

We decided to do it pro-bono to decide if we want to and should also offer  landscaping services to our other clients.

She wanted a yard that was very low on care (water, weeding, and etc.).

So …

We used mostly native plants and eliminated most of the grass.

The landscape was designed as a “zero landscape,” meaning that all plants were to be native to South Florida with no watering system.

The plants that were picked are drought resistant and need little water once the roots are established and are therefore very low maintenance.

Here is one of the Before Picture of the front yard prior to any of our landscaping work there:

Front Yard Landscaping Before Picture
Here is one of the After Picture of the results of our landscaping of this same front yard:

Front Yard Landscaping After Picture

What do You think of the Results of this Landscaping Project?

Pretty Dramatic difference!, isn’t it?

and doesn’t this home have a lot more “curb appeal” than it did before?

We had several helpers in the execution of this now beautiful ‘yard.’Paris working on back Patio

Paris and his helper hauled and placed the materials for us.

I don’t know if we could have completed it in the 11 days without you Paris!

Please Post Your Comments Here and let us know what you think of the results of this landscaping project and to help us decide if we should also offer landscaping services to our other clients,  ok?


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Cleaning Tip of the Day – Cleaning Copper

Monday, January 11th, 2010

You can clean your copper very easily and without the use of chemicals.

Mix baking soda with enough lemon juice to make a paste.

Use the paste as you would any metal cleaner.

Buff the copper clean with a soft cloth.

Please Post / Share Your Tips for cleaning copper, other metals and/or any of Your other Great Cleaning Tips  here, ok?

and …

Please come back here for more of Madonna’s Tips on how to clean your copper and other metal items and Please find More Madonna’Staging Cleaning Tips at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/topics/cleaning-tips/


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Cleaning Tip of the Day – Cleaning with Baking Soda

Sunday, December 27th, 2009
An American bathroom of a freshly renovated ho...

Image via Wikipedia

Baking Soda has been around for centuries.

It has so many different applications. cooking, cleaning, deodorizing, and even healing.

A) Baking Soda will clean and deodorize your (Vinyl) shower curtain:

  1. Sprinkle baking soda directly on a cloth or brush.
  2. Scrub the shower curtain.
  3. Rinse clean.
  4. Let dry.

B) Baking Soda will clean fiberglass and glossy tiles:

  1. Just sprinkle baking soda directly in the tub.
  2. Scrub with a cloth.
  3. Rinse and let the shine come through.

( No Harsh Chemicals)

Please Post / Share Your Tips for cleaning with baking soda here, ok?

and …

Please come back here for more of Madonna’s Tips on how to clean with baking soda and Please find More Madonna’Staging Cleaning Tips at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/topics/cleaning-tips/


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Cleaning Tip of the Day – Remove Water Marks from Wood Furniture

Sunday, December 13th, 2009

This is a cleaning tip on how to take out white water marks from wood furniture.

Spray vegetable cooking spray on the white marks.

Let it set for a minute or two.

Than rub it in with paper towel and walk away.

In about 5 to 6 hours later it will be gone.

What other ways do you know of to remove water marks and/or other stains from wood?

Please Post / Share Your Tips for removing water marks and/or other stains from wood here, ok?

and …

Please come back here for more of Madonna’s Tips on how to remove  water marks and/or other stains from wood and Please find More Madonna’Staging Cleaning Tips at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/topics/cleaning-tips/


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Staging, Cleaning & Landscaping for a client in South Florida

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

We (Madonna’Staging) were contacted by the homeowners and were asked to Stage, Clean and Landscape their “new home” in phases for a future move-in date.

Scope of Project:

Phase I (completed)

  1. Window treatments for the entire house/home
  2. Rooms cleaned (construction clean) & staged:
    Kitchen, Dining Room, Den and Formal Living Room.

Completed in 2-1/2 days or 20 hours

**See pictures below for Phase I

Please note:  Plants (greenery) was not added in the home at the time of Phase I completion.  Pictures will be updated upon completion of all phases.


Phase II (in process)

  1. Rooms to be cleaned (construction clean) & staged:
    Family room, Office, 2 bedrooms and 2 full baths.
  2. Front yard landscaped with plants native to South Florida

Phase III (will start when Phase II is complete)

  1. Back yard & pool landscaped with plants native to South Florida

The homeowners requested that their favorite antique pieces needed to be incorporated into the interior design of their new home.

Wow, there were many antiques to choose from and we did it!

It was a wonderful experience working with these homeowners!!  They are such a joy to work for & with!!

We are looking forward to Phase II.  **More Pictures coming soon!


Please Contact Madonna / Madonna’Staging Now if you would also like to have your home Staged, Redesigned, Cleaned and/or Landscaped and see results like this for your home today!

and …

Please come back Here to see our further progress on and more before and after pictures from this Staging, Interior Redesign, Cleaning and Landscaping Project for this client in South Florida.


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Cleaning Tip of the Day – Uses for WD-40 Part 1

Monday, November 16th, 2009
{{es|Envase de lubricante WD-40 de 155g.
Image via Wikipedia

We all know that WD-40 is Great for lubricating things, like squeaky hinges and car parts, right?

but …

Did you know that you can also use WD-40 for a wide variety of house cleaning tasks?

The following are just the first few, of more to come, Madonna’s Cleaning Tips regarding how you may clean various things around your home using WD-40:

Cleaning uses for WD-40 – Part 1:

  1. WD-40 removes lipstick stains from clothing and fabrics.
  2. WD-40 gives floor(s) a just waxed look – but not slippery.
  3. WD-40 removes road tar.
  4. WD-40 removes black scuff marks from kitchen floors.

What other uses of WD-40 do you know of for cleaning around your home?

Please Post / Share Your Tips for other uses of WD-40 around the house Here, ok?

and …

Please come back here for more of Madonna’s Tips on how you may use WD-40 for various home cleaning tasks and Please find More Madonna’Staging Cleaning Tips at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/topics/cleaning-tips/


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De-Cluttering – Client Testimonial

Monday, April 27th, 2009

The following is a verbatim Client Testimonial from another satisfied client of Madonna’Staging de-cluttering services:

“I highly recommend Madonna as an A-1 de-clutterer and a first class lady.

This woman gives her all whatever job she is pursing.  Creative, cleaner, and pure talent turning houses into homes.  A woman, a beautiful spirit.  Honest, trustworthy, and fun.

Madonna and her team of dedicated workers go the Xtra mile.

Try her services – you will be amazed and so pleased you did.

Well worth the fee.

Bette L. Kopenhafer
4-26-09″


Would You like Your house de-cluttered too?

Just Contact Madonna and schedule Madonna’Staging De-Cluttering Services for Your Home Today at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/services/de-cluttering/

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Cleaning Tip of the Day – How To Remove Rust on Wrought Iron Furniture

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

How to Remove Rust from Wrought Iron Furniture:

To remove rust spots on wrought iron, …

A wrought iron railing in Troy, New York

Use oily furniture polish like Old English.


Please Reply Here with Your Comments regarding any other Great Cleaning Tips you may have for How to quickly and easily remove rust from your wrought iron furniture, ok?


Need more help getting everything in your house cleaned?

Please see Madonna’Staging Cleaning Services at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/cleaning-services/


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De-Cluttering Client Testimonial

Thursday, March 26th, 2009

WOW, what a difference de-cluttering makes especially using Madonna’s de-cluttering services!

I’ve known Madonna for a while and always told her that she can’t come to my home until it was clean (to my satisfaction… hum).

As time went on, she needed another de-cluttering project to use/post to her website:  MadonnaStaging.com and knowing that I wouldn’t let her in our home, she had asked once again and I couldn’t help but say, yes – with the emphasis that it’s really cluttered. I was really embarrassed to have her come into our home and to my surprise she said that it wasn’t really bad (I think she said that to spare my feelings?).

She listens to your wants & needs.
She doesn’t walk in and say “this all needs to be thrown out.”

Anyway, she encourages ‘you’ to help with the process of de-cluttering whether it’s physically helping or to answer questions as to what ‘you’ want to do with some of the items. Some items may be sentimental and she will find a place for them, whereas others ‘you’ may not want and those items can be placed in a group that you could either sell at a garage sale or donate.

Anyway, once she finished de-cluttering in my home – I was wowed!!

I’m not embarrassed to let anyone in our home and have become quite proud.

My before and after pictures are included on her de-cluttering page at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/de-cluttering/

Please note:  I have other rooms that need Madonna’s attention & treatment. Once they are completed I will submit the photo’s to her website.

Thank you Madonna!!!!!

- Sonya


Would You like to be Proud to let invite Your Friends and Family into Your Home again?

Just Contact Madonna and schedule Madonna’Staging’s De-Cluttering Services for Your Home Today at:

http://blog.madonnastaging.com/de-cluttering/


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