More household hints continued from yesterday’s Part 1:

Plastic Laminate Countertops - Use turtle wax to brighten plastic or buff with toothpaste.

Polishing Carved Furniture - To get into carved details use a soft toothbrush dipped in furniture polish.

Removing Paper from Wood - Dab vegetable oil onto sticker, rub off.

Removing Polish Build-up - Rub build up by rubbing with a wrung out cloth of a solution of equal parts vingar and water. Dry immediately.

Rust - Scrub rust spots with turpentine.

Scratches - Rub wood scratches with the grain with petroleum jelly or a wax stick or crayon that matches the wood.

Uneven Furniture Legs - Hot glue old buttons underneath the leg.

Upholstery - Shaving cream is a good way to remove everyday soil from upholstered furniture.

Vinyl Upholstery - Sprinkle baking soda or vinegar on a rough damp cloth. Then wash vinyl with mild dishwashing soap.

Water Rings - Polish white water rings on wood by dampening a soft cloth and adding a dab of toothpaste.

Wicker - To prevent wicker from drying out, splitting or cracking, apply lemon oil whenever it dries out.

Interior designers and home stagers can supply you with the best ways to care for your home. Enjoy our cleaning tips that will help you make your furniture look it’s best and prepare your home for sale:

Blood - Cover the stain immediately with a cornstarch and cold water paste. Lightly rub the mixture and place the peice in the sun to dry. The sun and starch will pull the stain out. Brush off the powder. Repeat if necessary.

Candle Wax - Soften wax with a warm hair dryer then scrape off excess. Use paper towels, water, and vinegar to remove remaining wax.

Chrome - Clean with a lint free cloth and ammonia.

Cotton Upholstery - Remove soil by rubbing with an artgum eraser, available in art or craft stores.

Glass Tables - To remove small scratches, rub a small amount of toothpaste and wipe away excess. For a natural cleaner, use lemon juice and dry with newspaper.

Glue - To remove glue from furniture rub with vegetable or mineral oil.

Grease and Oil - Pour salt on immediately grease spills to absorb and prevent a stain. Talcum powder or cornstarch can be used  instead but need rubbed into the spot. Let the spill soak into the salt or powder then wipe up or vacuum up excess.

Leather Upholstery - Lemon oil or saddle soap are good cleansers.

Marble Tables - Stains on marble can be cleaned up by scouring with a paste made of baking soda and water. Let the mixture stand for a few minutes then remove with warm water. Or sprinkle salt onto a cut lemon and rub the lemon on the stained area. Rinse with warm water.

For more furniture care tips check out Part 2.

Every so often Pottery Barn offers complimentary classes at local stores. I recently received an e-mail inviting me to “Designing the Perfect Bedroom” on February 24th. Find out how you can sign up by contacting your local store. 

While the Pottery Barn sessions may not be for interior designers, they are a good start for homeowners who want to learn how to better select bedroom furniture and accessories, but aren’t looking to become designers. For those who are interested in training or starting an interior decorating business, Staged Makeovers is also offering Interior Redesign and Home Staging Classes at affordable prices. Find out more by contacting Sharon Kreighbaum, Accredited Staging Professional. Contact her by clicking here.

You can grow a wee bit o’ luck by planting some Oxalis Regnellii, or lucky shamrock, of your own. $10 will get you 25 bulbs at www.easytogrowbulbs.com. All you have to do is plant the bulbs in a indoor container, place near a sunny window, and water sparingly. In about 8 weeks you should see pin-wheel shaped leaves with tiny white flowers…just in time for St. Patrick’s Day!

In fashion we always hear, “this color is the new black.” Now black is becoming the new wood. Think about the last time you looked through a Pottery Barn catalog. Black painted furniture can look so chic and upscale, or in another setting it looks so relaxed and traditional. Black is a great accent color. It provides contrast. It is the darkest of neutrals and works with everything.

The 23rd Annual Kitchen and Bath Business Market Forecaster revealed its expectations for the industry in this rough economy based on consumer expectations from the last quarter of 2007. Both kitchen and bath remodeling project spending are expected to drop 14% which amounts to over a $118 billion drop. Parallel to this decrease in spending is the decrease in jobs in the bath sector of the industry, which is predicted to decrease around 14%. The kitchen industry expects only a 1% gain in jobs. With the threat of recession, lowered housing starts, and the weak real estate market, it is no surprise that consumers are spending less on interior design and home remodeling. In home staging we often see how reluctant homeowners are to remodel bathrooms, but notice that they are more likely to remodel kitchens. Bathrooms are private spaces and get little attention when it comes to home improvement. Kitchens on the other hand have become showy social places and the key selling feature of homes.

Figures from K+BB January 2008 issue

Our showroom at the National City Home and Garden show in Cleveland was a big hit with the crowds that came through. The show is the largest home and flower show in the country. If you missed it check out the photo of our fabulous designer showcase room here. We also released our “New for 2008″ offerings such as home staging courses and REALTOR continuing education classes. Visit our training page to find out more.

Everyday there are more and more companies coming up with ways to be more green. Here are just a few resources that homeowners can utilize to build a greener nest:

• www.energystar.gov - energy efficient appliances
• www.bettencourtwood.com - building supplies, cork flooring, sustainable plywood
• www.greenbuilder.com - online green building source guide
• www.vetrazzo.com - colorful countertops made from recycled glass

Looking for a piece of art for your home but want something unique, not out of a chain store? Consider buying from an artists’ guild online catalog like The Artful Home. The gift of art is an original Valentine’s Day present for the art lover, new home owner, or person who has everything. Art vendors carry everything from handcrafted jewelry to one-of-a-kind furnishings that are sure to be conversation pieces. Try a sculptural wood bench like Mark Levin’s Nymph Stool in your foyer for instant art impact. The Artful Home makes searching easy by breaking each category into a refined search using art terms (not just typical filters) such as color, discipline, medium, new items, price, technique, and theme.

According to the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the International Federation of Interior Architects and Interior Designers (IFI) member, Rita Carson, FASID and a group of her peers at the IFI conference in New York, the core values needed to be a good interior designer are:

• Ability to translate needs, ideas, and desires into appropriate interiors
• An ability to understand human behavior
• An understanding and concern for sustainability
• Ability to be ethically responsible
• Must have empathy for human life
• Must have passion for design
• Must be technically competent
• Ability to provide usability and functionalty within pschologically enhancing space
• A sharp focus of needs of people
• An ability to know how to “do no harm”
• Must have the ability to communicate both verbally and visually
• Must have aesthetic understanding
• Must have respect for human life