This means that pyjamas, underwear, sheets, blankets, socks, etc. do not need to be ironed.

Why would they need to be ironed anyway?

Well, I’ve heard MANY horror stories about how flies and other bugs can land on clothes that are hung out to dry, and if they aren’t ironed, may have deposited eggs/larvae that may work their way into your skin! So anything that is hung out to dry must get ironed, in my opinion.

I’m sure a lot of people didn’t believe me, but how about this article on the Daily Mail website:

The trip was a great success, and as I took the taxi to the airport I was pleased to see that I had only one mosquito bite. It was on the inside of my left upper arm, by the seam of my T-shirt. Never mind, I thought, it’s not even itchy: it will be kept cool in the plane’s air conditioning and will be almost gone by the time I’m back.

At about 4am, I had turned the light on and was staring at the bite. Suddenly, it seemed to be moving. I must be very, very tired, I reasoned.

There was now a hole at the top of the bite, with what looked like pus; I wiped it clean with a piece of disinfected cotton wool. The pain abated. Twenty minutes later, more movement, more yellow stuff, more agony.

Jake told me the female tumbu fly likes to lay its eggs on damp clothing or linen. (I remembered leaving my wet T-shirt hanging off the edge of my sunlounger to dry.) If those clothes are then worn, the eggs penetrate the skin. After two or three days, the larvae hatch beneath the skin.

Once ‘born’, the larvae need air so they eat their way out. I realised, with horror, that the pain was the larva munching its way out of my arm.

Go read the full article here: A bikini bug ate me alive’: The horrifying story of what happened when this woman left her swimwear to dry in the sun

So, how many people will be doing more ironing now?

Of course, if you’re looking for a way to get rid of maggots, you could always visit THE site on info about Maggots. Though I must admit, it doesn’t really mention anything about ironing your clothes!

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2009. | Iron Your Clothes or Maggots Could Eat YOU! | Only one comment. Click here to add yours... |

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When is Mothers Day this year?

Well, it’s not, so it was a nice little reminder to update the date on that article, and give everybody a quick reminder that Mother’s Day in most countries (including South Africa and the U.S.) falls on the second Sunday in May. This year, the 2nd Sunday is May 10th, so you have a couple of weeks in which to think of more ideas for presents. And then share them with all of us reading this…

Moms Love Flowers

Don’t forget that, along with the rule of the 2nd Sunday in May, there’s also the rule that Moms love flowers! So go take a quick look at NetFlorist (I review NetFlorist here). Flower deliveries are always a hit. NetFlorist delivers flowers and gifts throughout South Africa! Click Here to visit NetFlorist’s website

Contact me at any time

And, if you’d like to contact me for any reason and you don’t feel like leaving a comment, just go to the contact page and use the form on that page to send me a message. Thanks for reading…

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Having just moved into a new house, here’s a list of tools that I think you’ll need, from personal experience. Especially since it really sucks to get a new item for the house, or have an issue with your new home, and not be able to do anything about it.

Screw drivers

You will definitely need a screw driver some time in your life. And very probably, VERY SOON. I would recommend buying a set of screwdrivers that will include the small, medium and large flat screw drivers, and the Phillips Screwdriver (a.k.a. Star screwdriver).

Level

Levels can be quite expensive, so unless you really are planning on doing a lot of maintenance (like putting up new cornices), you should be able to get by with a 30cm Level. This should help you when hanging paintings, mirrors or even when adjusting the level of your fridge or washing machine. You will also definitely use this often.

Spanners

This isn’t as crucial as the screwdrivers, but they can come in handy when you’re assembling things like garden tables (can you tell I needed it for that? ). Again, I’d recommend that you buy a set that ranges in size, as opposed to buying them one by one.

Tape Measure

You will not know how you lived without a tape measure once you buy one. In fact, I can almost recommend that you buy 2! One for around the house, and the other to keep in the car… If you’re furnishing a new house, having a tape measure handy while shopping around is excellent!

I really like the tape measure that I own, because instead of having to lock the tape in place whenever I’ve extended it, my tape has a spring-loaded brake that I have to release when I want to extend the tape, or roll it back in. So there’s no worries about the brake not being locked properly, as the spring takes care of that.

And, it just FEELS better…

Ladder

Do I even need to talk about this one? Unless you’re 8 feet tall, you’re going to need a step-ladder to change light bulbs, clean those top shelves, etc. So get a good (safe) ladder.

Hammer

Something every new home-owner will use often, and soon after moving into the house. You will need this to hang painting after painting after photo…

Stanley Knife

According to Wikipedia, this is also known as a utility knife, a box cutter, a razor blade knife, a carpet knife, or a stationery knife. This is one of the most used tools I have. If only because I’m lazy and use it to open boxes and bags (like compost bags). Get a good quality, strong knife with replaceable blades.

Toolbox

And, something to keep all your new tools in. Get a large toolbox, with compartments for screws, nails, etc and space for your hammer, screwdrivers, spanners, etc…

Plunger

I found out I needed this the hard way. New houses always have the kinks. And, thanks to careless builders who tend to block up the drains, a plunger is definitely something you’d rather have and not need, then need and not have. So get one just in case.

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So, is there anything from the list above that you think I’ve missed? Feel free to add it in a comment below.

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2007. | Must have tools for new home owners | No comments yet. Click here to add yours... |

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Phone around for a few quotes. Be sure to have the exact square meterage that you will require. A lot of places won’t do work for less than 40 m2.

Find someone reputable with at least a five year guarantee (10 is better).

Most people will insist on coming out to measure the area themselves because they have to take any decks or steps that you might have around the pool into account. They might give you a quote, but will probably still come out and measure the area anyway.

Be sure that you have about an hour and a half available when they do come to give the quote, because they go through all the options and all the different types of bricks even though you might know exactly what you want.

Once you have accepted the quote and payed the deposit (usually 50%) then they will tell you their available time slot that they will be able to come allow 3 to 4 weeks for this (before they start work on the area).

They will probably drop the bricks off on your pavement about a week before they start working (warning: If this causes obstruction for visibility from the road, you might be fined.)

They will probably phone you and tell you that they are going to start working on your area around the same time that they drop the bricks off (allow 1 or 2 days just because they can)

When they do start working, they will probably take longer to finish off than originally quoted (allow 1 or 2 days).

If you are not there to supervise them, you can be guaranteed that a lot of cement, bricks and rubble will land in your pool, causing you endless problems trying to clean up the mess in your filter etc. etc… This happened to me, so I speak from experience.

Once they are complete, perform a full check on the work that they have done, from all angles. Once you are satisfied, then give them the final payment.

You can be sure to notice some faults a day or two after you have made the final payment, such as the paved area not being level, some bricks placed higher than others in certain areas and so forth. Also, I have the fortunate experience to have to call them and complain about grass starting to grow between the bricks due to them not filling the edges properly. Needless to say, two more phone calls had to be made before they came out to fix the problem, and then they didn’t use the exact same colour of cement as they did originally.

Win some, lose some I say

So, let me know if you have any tips or ideas, or even your hellish experience of when you got your pool area paved.

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2006. | Pool Paving Experience | No comments yet. Click here to add yours... |

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The reason you need to use the steel wool in the first place before varnishing (preferrably using a sealer), is to make the surface a bit rough so that the sealer sticks to the wood or previous coat of varnish/wood sealer. Of course, if it’s the first coat your’re applying, you use the steel wool just to make the wood slightly smoother than it’s natural self.

If you’re varnishing wood that is not that “delicate”, such as your garage doors or garden gates, don’t worry about getting steel wool that is TOO fine. After you’ve put on the first coat of wood sealer, and it’s dried, you will just need to take the “gloss” or “shine” off of the coat, making the next coat easier to stick. This way, you have a thicker coat of varnish on your wood, which means more protection. And believe me, fine steel wool does not make this an easy job.

If you’re varnishing delicate wood, like your wooden patio table, then use a finer steel wool, especially before the last coat. This will give the wood a very smooth look…

If you read my post about “Varnishing or Sealing your Wood” you’ll see how I mentioned that you need to use steel wool to give you varnish a smoother finish. Well, here’s more info regarding that, after doing this a couple of times…

The reason you need to use the steel wool in the first place before varnishing (preferrably using a sealer), is to make the surface a bit rough so that the sealer sticks to the wood or previous coat of varnish/wood sealer. Of course, if it’s the first coat your’re applying, you use the steel wool just to make the wood slightly smoother than it’s natural self.

If you’re varnishing wood that is not that “delicate”, such as your garage doors or garden gates, don’t worry about getting steel wool that is TOO fine. After you’ve put on the first coat of wood sealer, and it’s dried, you will just need to take the “gloss” or “shine” off of the coat, making the next coat easier to stick. This way, you have a thicker coat of varnish on your wood, which means more protection. And believe me, fine steel wool does not make this an easy job.

If you’re varnishing delicate wood, like your wooden patio table, then use a finer steel wool, especially before the last coat. This will give the wood a very smooth look…

If you have any tips or suggestions, please let me know. We could all use your experience to learn from.

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2006. | Varnishing Wood – Steel Wool | 2 comments. Click here to add yours... |

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Here are the ways we use baskets in our house:

- Square Straw Baskets

The best use is, if you have built-in cupboards in your bedroom, and this is where you keep you socks or underwear, it can be a pain to get at them when getting dressed. But, if you keep your underwear and socks in a square basket, and you keep your basket in the cupboard, you can just take the basket out, and choose what you need. Almost like a drawer… Our baskets look very similar to the following:

- Round Straw Baskets

My wife tidied the grocery cupboard, putting similar items in round straw baskets. Now, when I need a chocolate fix, I open the cupboard, and take out the chocolate basket. No digging around the soups and spagghettis and spices. Very nice. Looks pretty good too.

- Plastic Baskets

We keep quite a few things in plastic baskets. Our baskets generally have lids to keep out the dust and damp, but this isn’t necessary if you’re keeping things inside a room in the house, like the baskets below could keep toys in the kid’s room. But our baskets keep our photos, and my tools, turpentine, cloths, gardening gear, etc. out of the way in the garage.
OBVIOUSLY not all in the same basket…

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2006. | Baskets to save space | No comments yet. Click here to add yours... |

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BUT, and it’s just a little but, here are a few things I would recommend you take a look at improving if you own a Bed and Breakfast:

• Quaint is nice, but make sure it’s not old-looking. An example is a bathroom that might be very clean, but hasn’t been changed or upgraded in 20 years… Put in new tiles, taps and basins. It will make a WORLD of difference
• Ensure the paint does not look like it’s peeling. If you give the place a new paint job, give the WHOLE place a new paint job. Don’t forget the window-sills
• Ensure the doors (and locks) fit properly. Get a locksmith to come in and fix things. DON’T let you guests struggle to lock the door to their room

These things might sound really obvious, and yes, the Bed and Breakfast in the Drakensberg could get away with these minor details because of their impeccable customer service (and value for money), but the little things count. A visitor won’t notice if it’s right, but will definitely notice if it’s wrong, so fix it…

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2006. | Bed and Breakfast | No comments yet. Click here to add yours... |

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When you visit other people’s homes, look around and see what you like. You don’t have to copy it directly, but look for ideas that you could use around your house.


When you go shopping, especially to furniture stores, take note of how the furniture is decorated. You have to realise that the shops main function is to make their furniture seem appealing to a customer, so it is in their best interest to decorate it/arrange it in an appealing manner.
Browse the internet. Their are TONS of websites that show you Interior Decorating tips and tricks. There are even website that show you interior decorating photos. These are a good resource for you to get ideas.

I hope you enjoyed my Ten Tips for a better looking home… Please leave me some comments on what you did/didn’t like so I can improve.
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© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2006. | Home Decorating Tip #10 – Take a look around | No comments yet. Click here to add yours... |

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Don’t make your guests (or yourself) climb over things or have to dodge furniture. Try and make your rooms easily accessible by people, even when there is a large number of people.

To create easily accessible “paths” around your house, try the following ideas:

• Leave sufficient space between furniture so that people can easily go between the furniture
• Use a focal point as a “destination” to draw people on a specific path – A painting at the end of a path or passageway works well
• Make the destination of a path functional – For example, in a lounge, make sure you can get to the entrance, lights and seating without too much hassle

Something as simple as Traffic Flow may not seem important, but your guests are more likely to remember your house for bad traffic flow, than for good.

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© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2006. | Home Decorating Tip #8 – Create easily accessible paths | No comments yet. Click here to add yours... |

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You could automatically have a focal point in the room ready, in which case you want to highlight and/or enhance the attraction of this feature. Here is a list of things that could be a focal point, or help create/improve a focal point;

1. Fireplace
2. Windows
3. A Painting or Photo on the wall
4. A mirror
5. A vase with flowers
6. A wine rack

And, of course, it doesn’t always have to be inside the house. Here are some tips and ideas for creating a focal point in the garden:

1. Water fountain
2. Bird Bath or Bird Feeder
3. A nice tree or shrub, especially a colorful one
4. A garden path (leads your eye to a point)

Something to remember: keep the focal point in line with your theme/decor. It will enhance the effect when it blends and yet stands out at the same time. (Does a Japanese Bonsai tree in a cemented back yard REALLY count as a focal point???)

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© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2006. | Home Decorating Tip #7 – Create a focal point | No comments yet. Click here to add yours... |

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