Make a good house a GREAT home

If you have dirty (non-permanent) marks on your walls, then here’s a good way to clean them off…

But first, some of the ways that I’ve noticed these marks GET on the walls:

• Dogs rubbing up against the walls as they run past
• You sqaushed a mosquito on the wall, and now there’s a mark
• You tried to clean the mark on the wall, and only made it worse…
• While installing cupboards (or anything else) pencil marks were needed. Now they’re not…

So, the FANTASTIC way to clean these marks off the walls?

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Well, it’s almost the rainy season here in South Africa, and I’m cramming in all the lovely wood varnishing and wood sealing for all the wooden doors, wooden garden furniture, wooden window frames and wooden gates. If I have had one main piece of advice from everyone I know, it’s been: Don’t buy wooden furniture or a house with wooden window frames.

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Here in South Africa, there is a HUGE market for the cheaper/more affordable way of life. We have people who buy one box of OMO or Skip and then resell it in little packets to the man on the street. They may only make a little profit, but it is a profit. It’s not even a case of buying bulk to get discounts on washing soaps.

Well, from the depths of ThriftyFun.com comes this great tip on how to make your Fabric Softener last a LOOOOONG time…

Take an old towel and soak it in liquid fabric softener. Wring it out good, pour the liquid fabric softener back into the bottle and let the towel dry before using….
…One bottle of liquid fabric softener should last years.

There are some interesting comments there as well. But leave a couple here if you decide to try it… Of course, if you have any OTHER ideas on saving money around the house, let me know as well.

I used to have 3 dogs. That might not seem like a lot, but the fact that one of my dogs was a Great Dane meant that there was a LOT of dog food that we went through every week. Of course, dogs don’t always finish all their food (rare, but it happens), and so the dog food could bring an attack of ants.

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I’ve been asked by a few people how to care for granite, among other things, so I did some research and will try and put all my Granite Care findings here… Of course, if you have any comments or other ideas, please leave a comment.

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I just read an article from SouthernLiving named “Foil Burglars When You’re on Vacation” that gives a few ideas on how to prevent crime while you’re away on holiday.

Here are a couple of my favourites:

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I found a website that has a nice little list on removing stains with normal, everyday (and cheaper) household products. They have the following to say before showing the list of stain removal products:

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Save Money with your light bulbs. How can you do this? By using Compact Flourescent Lights. These light bulbs differ from the normal Incandescent Bulbs, which glow by heating a tiny coil of Tungsten wire, in that they glow using Mercury Vapor.

These light bulbs (which look like the picture on the left) are a very energy efficient way to light certain areas of your house. I say certain areas because these bulbs are only really cost effective when used in lights that stay on for 3-4 hours or more at a time. Here are some interesting facts about these bulbs:

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A great tip for a good first impression by a visitor is to Varnish your wooden doors. ESPECIALLY your garage doors if your visitors will see them when they arrive. (My guests have to park outside my garage doors).

Of course, Varnishing is not always what needs to be done. A better option is Sealing the wood. I used something called an “Exterior Gloss Sealer” by Woodoc. Here are the properties for the Sealer I used (from www.woodoc.com):

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Here are a couple of quick ways to make your garden look more impressive for your guests (especially on a first viewing). To be done just before guests arrive:

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