Home Tips

The second time around i'm going to do it right!

There are a few things I wish I had known prior to purchasing my first home. There are a few tips and tricks  that I've learned along the way and some lessons I've had to learn the hard way.

I have a few suggestions for you future new home buyers, that I wish someone had told me a few years ago. Remember this is my perspective and my opinion so you may or may not agree...

~If you have pets or are planning on getting a pet DO NOT go with the dark stained hardwood> pet hair and scratches are more visible, especially if you go with the maple instead of the oak. In my future home I'm planning on going with a medium stain in a distressed wood finish.

~Soaker tubs are wonderful! But cleaning them is a pain in the BUTT! Make sure you get a hand held shower head installed, this will make it easier on you when cleaning the tub.

~Pantry...I don't have one:( I really wish I had thought about this in advance because we currently store our canned goods, pastas, etc. In our corner cabinet and its difficult to access the stuff in the back. In my next home I plan to include a pantry with the pull out drawers...very convenient!

~Broom closet...I don't have one of these either. Ideally it would be nice to have a pantry with an area that can fit your broom, mop, etc. Alot of the time you will find my dry mop sitting in the corner of my kitchen because I use it so frequently it does not make sense to bring it upstairs after each use.

~Don't waste your hard earned money on a central vac. I did and I regret it! Central vacs are so big and bulky and a pain to drag upstairs, downstairs, around the house. Find a reputable vacuum cleaner. They have so many great ones out there. They are light weight and so much more convenient. After a year and half using the central vac I finally convinced Jay to let me buy  a regular vacuum cleaner. I wish I had never wasted my money on the central unit!

~Espresso stained cabinets are gorgeous, my one issue with them is that grease stains are pretty visible around the knobs. I find myself wiping them down with my favourite micro fibre cloths almost daily. In my next home I plan on going with white or off white cabinets, I wonder if greese will still be an issue? Also I think handles rather than knobs would keep it cleaner.

~I love my stainless steel appliances but I found cleaning them pretty tricky at 1st. All the products I used seemed to leave streaks and it was very frustrating. After a little trial and error I found a product I liked, "Cerama Bryte, Stainless Steel Cleaning Polish" I don't follow the directions on the back instead I dampen a j-cloth with water then spray some of the cerama bryte on the cloth. I clean the appliance with the jcloth in the direction of the brush marks, then I wipe it dry with a paper towel. Works every time!

~A tip for stainless steel fridges. When purchasing one, look for one that has a handle to pull the fridge open. Some fridges don't come with handles and you end up with finger marks running up and down the opening.

~Love, Love, Love Microfiber! (cloths, mops and furniture) The cloths are amazing for dusting, drying dishes and cleaning my espresso cabinets. The Mop is amazing on hardwood, just dampen with warm water and mop your floors, it doesn't leave any streaks and its the best for preserving your hardwood. The furniture (we have a large ottomon) and it is amazingly easy to clean! Just rub stains/marks with a damp cloth, that usually does the trick!


Micro Fiber Furniture




Micro Fiber Cloths ($1 at Dollarama)



~A shower light and a marble/tile bench. Thankfully I have the light, this is important when shaving especially since the lighting in my ensuite is not the greatest. (I could definitely use some pot lights). But the bench I am in desperate need of (a must in my next home)this is once again very handy when shaving your legs.



Shower Bench

 

Hmmmm what else can I think of? I'm sure more ideas will come to me and I'll update this post when they do. In the meantime please feel free to add your input:)

Thank's for reading! xoxox