Some Great Ways To Help Keep Your Carpets & Rugs Looking Their Best

The Carpet and Rug Institute recommends that you clean your carpets and rugs every 12-18 months, or thereabouts, to help keep them in nice condition.  To do that, here are some easy basic suggestions to help you:

~~  Vacuum your carpets and rugs at least once a week.  Ground in dirt is the worst thing for carpeting and rugs.

~~  Make sure to have entry mats at your doors that enter your home.  Consider removing your shoes in the entryway.  If you wear shoes inside your home, consider buying a pair that you keep just for wearing inside your home.

~~  Clean up spills as quickly as possible.  Try to scrape up or lift up as much of the spill as you, and then use a cleaning solution.  Make sure to work from the outside edge of the spill in to the center.  This helps to avoid making the spill area even larger.  And then after using the cleaning solution, blot the cleaned area instead of rubbing. 

~~  Dry the cleaned area by placing clean white towels or paper towels weighted down over the spot.  If you allow it to air dry, you may end up with a ring that forms around the cleaned area.

If I can help with any other suggestions for home-maintenance, give me a call or send me an email.  

Ann Cummings

MAKE YOUR HOME AS SAFE AS YOU CAN

Unfortunately, crime is no longer isolated to certain areas, it's become an issue that seems to be at the forefront of the news everywhere we turn.  And it can very unexpectedly land on your very own doorstop with no notice.  Take heart though, there is no need to feel you can't do anything about it!

Here are some simple but smart steps to take that can greatly increase the security of your home:

 ~~~  Keep your doors locked and make sure all doors have deadbolt locks of at least 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch.

 ~~~  Have 'pry-proof' locks on your windows.  I found some of these at both Home Depot and Lowes recently.

 ~~~  Keep the bushes and trees in your yard and right around your house trimmed so your windows and doors can be seen by your neighbors.  This helps in not having hiding places for potential intruders.

 ~~~  Keep all of your entrances well-lit at night.  You can purchase from a wide variety of inexpensive spot-light systems with motion sensors that turn the lights on when movement takes place within certain ranges.  You can also buy sensor lights that come on at dusk and go off at dawn or some other preset time.

 ~~~  If you're thinking about a pet, a dog would be a good choice.  Convicted burglars have been interviewed and have said that homes with dogs were the homes they broke into least.  Dogs can be a great deterrent for burglars.

Ann Cummings
Portsmouth New Hampshire

KIDS ~ CRAYONS ~ WALLS ~ Do they go together???

  If you've got kids, then you know how crayons, kids & walls are like magnets to each other!!

Removing crayon marks from walls is trickier than it may first seem.  Unless your wall artist has used the new washable crayons which come off with just plain old soap and water, more drastic measures seem to be the only ones that work.

Don't use abrasive cleaners!  They usually damage the paint's finish, and will leave a dull spot where the coloring marks had been.  The only thing you can do if you've used an abrasive cleaner or scrubber is to repaint.

Another point - don't paint over the crayon marks.  The color from the crayon marks will bleed right through the paint.

The good old pencil eraser comes to the rescue!!  Most of the crayon will come right off.  You might need to use a toothpick or something similar to get the tiny remnants out of the textured spaces in the paint.  Then all you have to do is clean up the shreds of the eraser when you're done!!
                                                                               Easy as a simple pink eraser!!

www.AnnCummings.com      www.PortsmouthNewHampshireHomes.com

Winter's coming, whether we want it to or not!  And that means it's time to get your house ready for cold weather.  Getting it ready now will help in several ways:

          - It will help save on energy costs;
          - It will help provide worry-free maintenance;
          - And it will help to keep you and yours warm & cozy
               inside.

 Inspect the exterior of your home, and create yourself a fortress:

     - Walk around the outside of your home and check for areas
          that might allow water to get in, things that are broken, or
          things needing repair.
     - Check your storm windows and your doors.  Caulk and
          seal any openings and gaps to keep cold air out and to
          keep warm air inside. 
     - Look for any overhanging or dead tree limbs and have them
          removed.  If these get coated in ice, they'll become
          heavy & break off and hit your home.
     - Shut off water to outside faucets, and drain those faucets. 
          This will help to prevent any freeze-ups in those pipes.

Create a warm and cozy home inside - you'll love coming home and knowing you and your family will be nice and protected:

     - Have your fireplace checked out professionally for dirt and soot build-up
     - Have your furnace serviced and any parts replaced that are needed
     - Have your air filter replaced if you have forced air heat
     - Have the fins vacuumed in your baseboards if you have baseboards for heating
     - Have your furnace replaced if it's old and not functioning as it should

Having your home as fine-tuned as it can be, before the cold sets in, will help to ensure a warm and safe winter for you and your family.

Ann Cummings
Portsmouth New Hampshire

   Splashes of Color!!!

        Ann Cummings

Your lawn continues to build its root system during the dormant season, so a few measures taken during the fall will give you great results next spring and summer.

Turn fall leaves into a nutrient-rich mulch by using mulched leaves and turn them back into the turf.  I have a leaf blower that is also a mulcher that works beautifully for this.  There are also mower deck systems that can do this as well.

If your lawn has had a lot of traffic over the summer, your soil may have become compacted.  Aeration can be a big help with this.

Dethatching with a vertical cutting machine that scores the ground 1/4" to 1/2" and then reseeding your lawn will allow it to fill in over the winter.

After you aerate or dethatch, fertilize and water so the nutrients can easily reach the root system.  About a month before your lawn goes dormant is the best time to fertilize.

A little preparation now will pay off all next year.  A healthy lawn enhances the value of your home and cuts down on weeding. 

When it's time to move, contact me!  I'll help you weed through your options in the Portsmouth New Hampshire area real estate market by giving you tips and suggestions to help sell your home faster and enhance the value of your home!