Top 5 Ways To Make Your Upholstery Last

You've invested a lot of money in your upholstery. You spent time doing your homework on Joybird reviews furniture to choose just the right sofas and chairs. Now it's time to take good care of them.

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1. Vacuum Regularly

You should vacuum dirt and pet hair away from your upholstery about once per week. Use a vacuum attachment with a brush that is made for furniture. This will keep dust, soil and hair from getting stuck in the weave of the fabric.

2. Revive and Flip Cushions

If possible, shuffle the cushions on your couch once in a while to make sure that they are each used consistently. Flip other cushions and pillows regularly to ensure that they wear equally on both sides. These items will eventually become flat or stretched from use. Hit cushions gently with your hands to get them back in shape and keep the furniture you found through Joybird reviews comfy.

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3. Use Stain Protectors

Purchase a fabric protector spray as soon as you get new upholstery. Make sure that you follow the instructions and perform a color test on an unseen part of the fabric before spraying the entire piece. This coats the fabric and makes it repel stains. 

4. Clean Stains Immediately

Just like you did with the stain protector spray, test upholstery cleaning spray on a hidden part of the furniture or curtain. Do not allow the stain to dry before you clean it up.

5. Utilize Yearly Professional Cleaning

Even if you keep up with the regular maintenance of your upholstery, there is no substitute for a professional cleaning service. You should have this done every year or two. A qualified cleaner will have special equipment and cleaning products to take care of stains and buried dirt that you cannot get rid of on your own. They can make your upholstery look new and apply a powerful stain protector.

How To Manage Your Time

Getting to the end of your week and wondering why you haven't made a dent in your to-do list can be frustrating. While you can't spin time out of thin air, there are strategies to managing the time you do have more efficiently.

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Write It Down

If you're not sure where all your time is going, keep a log for a week. It may seem tedious to track every activity but you'll have powerful insights when you're done. You may be surprised by how much time you're losing to scrolling apps or watching TV. You don't need to eliminate these activities but you can be mindful of how much of your day they're eating. Habits or automatic behaviors are hard to see when you're in them. Writing them down forces you to be honest. You can also look at your phone to see where all your screen time is going but ideally, this isn't your whole day.

Pay Someone Else 

If you've taken stock of how your time is being spent and there's simply nowhere to cut back, consider hiring someone for tasks you don't enjoy. Get your weekends back and find a neighborhood kid to cut your grass. Use a meal delivery service for those nights you'd rather not cook.

Plan Ahead

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. It's a cliche, but it's also true. Write down your goals for the day. You can do this at night or in the morning, just make sure you do it. Another mantra is 'eat the frog.' Take on your biggest chore first thing in the day. You'll be more likely to accomplish it when you're still fresh.

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Get Healthy

Your brain needs to function properly to make decisions. Poor diet, lack of exercise and too much alcohol can all contribute to a less than ideal mental state. A sugar high can rob you of as much as five hours of productive thinking. Replacing bad habits with healthy ones helps you maintain focus.

Get Organized

Even laser-like focus won't save you any time if your priorities are all over the place. Organize your files, organize your goals, organize your bathroom, organize anything that feels cluttered and messy. Having a system lets you spend less time hunting for things and more time doing what you intend to do.

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Stop Procrastinating

Most time wasting activities are just another form of procrastination. If you're having a hard time getting started try devoting just ten minutes to a task. Once you're moving, you'll find that continuing isn't as hard as you'd thought.

Examine Your Values 

When all else fails, take a long hard look at why you're doing what you're doing. Are you in the wrong job? Can you ask for less hours? Could you make more money doing something else? Sometimes change is required to get where you want to go.

Managing your time is a skill that takes practice. Evaluating your habits and making meaningful changes can help you make the most of your day and ultimately your life.

3 Ways To Fight Brain Fog

Do you ever feel like you are walking around in a daze, or cannot keep your mind focused on the task at hand? Do you feel like you are not as mentally sharp as you used to be? If you answered yes, you are not alone. Many people suffer from what has come to be known as brain fog. Brain fog can describe a person who is experiencing decreased concentration, diminished memory, insufficient focus, or overall weakened mental clarity. It can be linked to a myriad of causes and affect important areas of your life, such as your job, schoolwork, or relationships. Although there are life changes that you can make to help decrease these symptoms, you might find it helpful to take supplements for mental clarity for a jump start to help the fog lift.

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Sleep

It cannot be said enough how important getting adequate sleep is for your overall health. Proper sleep is a cornerstone for all the other healthy habits you strive to maintain and is critical for your brain to function at its best. it is easy to identify the physical struggle that comes from a lack of sleep, such as not having the energy to exercise, or having that overwhelming urge to take a nap in the middle of the workday. Other symptoms may not be as easy to recognize.

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When you are overtired, you can experience a rise in depression and a decrease in good mental health. When your mind is so busy battling negative thoughts and feelings, you lose some of your mental bandwidth needed to deal with the life that is in front of you. Lack of sleep can also affect your blood sugar level. When your blood sugar level is too low, you can experience extreme lethargy that paralyzes you to the point of not even wanting to move, and your ability to think becomes fuzzy and unclear.

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Eat Healthy

Proper nutrition is very important for your mental health. You would not purposely put bad gasoline in your car because it would negatively affect the car's performance. Treat your body the same way. Ensure that you are regularly consuming foods that contain vitamins and nutrients that are especially good for brain support, such as Omega-3 fatty acids. 

Train Your Brain

Being able to relax and de-stress is important for good mental health. Your life might be similar to that of many people who have full daily schedules and find it hard to keep up with a growing to-do list. Sometimes participating in a rather mindless activity, such as watching TV or scrolling through social media, is exactly what you need. Strive to also spend time regularly engaged in hobbies or projects that will tax your brain. You can try doing crossword or jigsaw puzzles, learning a new style of dance, or using your non-dominant hand to do things like brush your teeth.

You are likely bombarded with stressors and activities every day that compete for your attention and can clutter your mind. Put up your best defense against brain fog by sleeping well, choosing healthy foods and supplements, and engaging in mind sharpening activities.

4 Types of Loans

Sometimes, you just don't have the funds to pay for something you really need. Almost everyone is familiar with credit cards, auto loans and mortgages, but there are all kinds of loans out there that cater to specific situations or needs. These four loan types are only a few.

1. Personal Loans

A personal loan is very versatile. You don't need collateral to apply for one like you would for an auto loan, and you can use the loan for a wide range of expenses, from home renovations to an engagement ring.

This type of loan works best for someone with a good credit score because you're more likely to get approved and receive a lower interest rate. You can apply for a personal loan with most credit unions and banks, and with some online lenders.

2. Home Equity Loans

If you own a home, you can get a home equity loan by borrowing against the equity, or the amount of your home you own. If you've paid off a third of your mortgage, you can borrow up to a third of your home's value. People who opt for this type of loan are usually doing something to improve the quality of their home, like renovating the kitchen or building an addition.

Home equity loans tend to have lower interest rates than some other types, but like with a mortgage or auto loan, there is collateral involved. In this case, your house. Collateral can be a risk because if you default on your loan, you could lose your home.

3. Student Loans

These loans are increasingly common in the United States. Most college graduates can expect to carry roughly $40,000 in student loan debt, at least. Many people today include student loan payments in their budgets, along with more traditional bills like rent and utilities.

Since 2006, all federal student loans have fixed interest rates. Every student applying to colleges should fill out a FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid). This application provides the government with the information needed to award federal loans and even grants based on the student's financial need. There are also private student loans available through institutions like banks.

4. Debt Consolidation Loans

A debt consolidation loan is a way to provide debt relief. This type of loan merges various bills into one debt that you can repay as one bill, to one lender. This type of loan is best for things like paying off credit cards, which typically have higher interest rates. If you decide to take out a debt consolidation loan, it's important to figure out the total you must pay for all the bills you want to merge and compare it against your budget. A lender can then help you figure out the best plan and interest rate to pay off your bill. Typically, the repayment period is about 3 to 5 years.

These are only some of the different loan types available. One of them might work for you, or another type all together might fit your needs better. It's important to do your research when considering a loan.

How To Prevent Accidents In Your Home

Since we spend most of our time at home, it stands to reason that we are prone to having an accident there. It’s simply a numbers game. From slips and falls to burns to just about any other injury you can imagine, our home is where it is most likely to happen.

As they say, prevention is the best medicine, so rather than just have a first aid kit ready for an injury, it’s best to try to avoid the accident to begin with. It’s easier said than done, of course, but with the right idea you can make your house an injury free zone.

In this article, I will give you several ideas on just how to keep your home safe from injury.

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1 - Keep a safe pool

Homes with pools are especially prone to injuries and they can be quite serious. If you have a pool then you need to pay particular attention to safety and have some protocols in place to make sure everybody knows how to stay protected.

The first line of defense is to have a fence around the pool that has a lock on the gate. This way kids or dogs can’t wander in and get into trouble by falling into a pool. You can research more at pool safety melbourne for details about pool fencing options and to better understand what safety features might be necessary for your home. This is actually required in some municipalities if you plan to have a pool anyway.

It’s a good idea to have a camera in the pool area so you can monitor what is happening there so there are no surprises. A home automation system will have motion detecting cameras that turn on when something comes into frame. Then you’re alerted on your device so you can watch remotely.

Then, have a non-slip surface on the deck area around the pool so there are no slip and falls that could be really bad. Also, make sure that you have signs for no diving and other types of rough activity that can result in an injury.

2 - Have fire extinguishers

It is a good idea to have several fire extinguishers around the house. Fires are very common and not just in the kitchen. Of course, it makes sense to have one within reach in the kitchen in case of a grease fire. But, you should also have one in the laundry room where fires can happen from lint build up in the dryer exhaust.

In fact, make sure that you are cleaning out your dryer exhaust occasionally so it is less likely to happen.

Then, keep some others scattered around as you never know where a fire can break out in the house. If you have a barbecue area in your garden, then this is another location that should definitely have a fire extinguisher.

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3 - Keep appliances maintained

Some appliances like the dryer being dirty with lint as was already mentioned can be quite dangerous if they are not maintained. Especially appliances that get hot like a water boiler or heater.

If your water heater is overheating, then this could spell danger in two ways. One is that it can send scalding hot water to your fixtures that can burn you. And, young children are susceptible to burns from hot water with their sensitive skin.

Secondly, they can explode or cause fires if they overheat. Sometimes it’s the electrical work that is old on these older water heaters that can cause fires, as well.

Make sure that you are having your appliances inspected and serviced on time so that way at the first sign of danger, you can have it fixed or replaced. If you have old appliances then this is a good time to replace them with something more efficient and even safer.