DIY Product Reviews

One of the biggest challenges faced by many homeowners is selecting the right kind of flooring for their homes.  There are many different types of flooring available in the market.  Choosing the right type of flooring will not only make your home beautiful but also add value to its interior.

Your flooring should blend with the theme and decor of your home.  You can choose from among  hardwood, ceramic tiles, laminates, vinyl to the good old carpet to meet your flooring needs. The guidelines below will aid you in choosing the right type of flooring for your
home.
1. Budget : You have to decide at the outset, how much money you can afford to spend on flooring. This will give you a broad idea of the choices you have and direct your focus appropriately.

2. Practicality : How big is your house? How long will you be staying in it? Are you looking for a short-term temporary solution to your flooring needs or a permanent long term one? What is the housing theme you have chosen and the decor you will have? Answers to these will help you choose the right flooring for your home.

3. Usage : How many people will be staying in the house.  Will there be many children and pets (with them around there will be spills and stains galore as they play around)? How much time you can spend taking care of the flooring? Will you be using heavy furniture in the house (rearranging these frequently will hasten wear and tear of flooring)? Answer them honestly and you will get an idea of the ideal flooring for your home.

4. Structural design factors :  You should find out the following from your architect-  amount of humidity and water in the room, the possible presence of sunlight that can make certain colors in the area fade, and the presence of vents in the floors for heating and cooling. The flooring you choose should work within the restrictions imposed by the room’s architectural features and systems.
Flooring technology have allowed your flooring choices to expand more.  Engineered wood flooring has allowed for wood floors in the basement.   Epoxy grouts from Laticrete and Mapei have allow for a continuous flow from inside to outside.

Once you have taken account of all the above factors, it should be easy to choose a flooring that will fit in with your scheme of things.

This year will bring a lot of exciting changes to the consumer appliance world. Refrigerators, Dishwashers and Laundry will be updated. This is in addition to the new US appliance brand Electrolux. Electrolux USA will offer a full line of kitchen and laundry appliances. This post will be updated with new or updated information as it becomes available. Here are some of the new appliance models for 2008:

Bosch Dishwasher - Minor change in lineup. Addition of a new entry level dishwasher priced under $500 in white or black. Most Bosch features are included in this model (i.e. Aquastop, Flow through water heater, etc.) The main difference will be the tub. Stainless sides and top with a poly bottom. Available Early Summer (SHE4AM Ascenta)

Samsung Refrigeration - New 29 cubic foot bottom mount refrigerator. This box will fit in the same space as a 26 cubic size refrigerator. Samsung is using a new design and new high-tech insulation. No word yet on price or styles, but I expect to see side-by-sides and bottom mount ice and water options this spring. Price guess in stainless $2999 (Model: RFG297AA).

Whirlpool/KitchenAid Refrigeration: Having been caught off guard by Samsung and GE this year, expect a lot of new competive priced refrigeration this year. The Maytag H20 will no longer cut it. (Models: GI5FVAXV and GI5FSAXV)

Laundry in General: Expect a lot of steam. Samsung (WF448AA $1498) and Electrolux (EWFLW65H $1498) will be introducing 4.0 cubic feet steam laundry this spring. You will also see a 4.5 sized washer from those brands as well. The Whirlpool Duet will have a new addition also… the WFW9500 will be a lower priced model of the WFW9600. It will also come in a new color… Toasted Chestnut.

Still working a few good leads… will update. New Drawered Dishwasher, New Dishwasher Players (Samsung at Lowes now), more induction cooking… etc. Stay Tuned

I received a free sample of the Dyson Dyzolv Carpet cleaner when I purchased my Dyson DC17 Absolute Animal.  This cleaner and the vacuum is worth the money.  I have tried a lot of different carpet cleaners and the Dyson Dyzolv is one I know will work.

The cleaner has 4 main ingredients:  1) Basic dirt and soil solvent 2) Oil based stain solvent 3) Oil based sail detergent 4) Speed Drying Solvent.  This cleaner is also pH neutral and friendly to the environment.

The basic instructions are simple enough.  You spray the cleaner on the stain the blot it from the outside in.  Difficult stains might need to be treated twice.  I just use a fold paper towel with great success.

Like I said before I have used a lot of stain cleaners and treatments and Dyson’s Dizolv is as good as anything else without a chemical smell.  The Spot Shot is a good cleaner, as well as Resolve products.  I have noticed I can treat just once with Dyzolv than any other cleaner.

A little does go a long ways!  The bottle is small, but I have been using the same bottle for 3 months now and probably have 2 months worth left.  I takes very little of this product to work well.  It is difficult to find in the stores, but is readily available online.

The Dyson Dyzolv spot treatment is worth a try for a difficult stain or for everyday use.

Cleaning stained grout can sometimes be a difficult job. A few basic tips will help you find the best solution for your grout. Grout can become stained and soiled many different ways. The grout in the bathroom is stained by mildew, while the kitchen it is foot traffic and food. Knowing what the stains are will help you clean it.

The first step is to remove any loose soil from the grout. This can be achieved with water and paper or a sponge. Next you will pick the cleaner to try. Always start with the simplest before advancing to a harsh cleaner. The brush you use needs to be hard, but not hard enough to damage the grout. Old toothbrushes and metal bristled brushed are not recommend. I stiff bristled nylon brush (for dish washing) is a great choose. Always tesy your cleaner in a small hidden area to make sure it doesn’t react poorly to the grout or the tile surface. Here are some of the cleaners you might choose:

Homemade Cleaners - These are very basic, but can work well. A 50-50 mix of white vinegar and distilled water is a great option for the bathroom. You can also make a paste with baking soda and scrub it in with a brush.

Store Bought - The choices here are endless. I have found the Kaboom cleaner to do a good job. It is best to try a few and find the best one for your stained grout.

Commercial - These are cleaner made for cleaning stained grout. They are pH balanced so they do not damage the surface. This can be more expensive, but not clean better than some of the other options.

Steam - Steam cleaning stained grout has become very popular lately. I have tried it and it worked very well on a lot of different stains. The machines cost about $100. The Wagner 905 cleaner is a very well build cleaner.

The final step when you have clean grout is to seal it. Sealing it will make future cleanings much easier. Grout should be sealed at least once per year. These are the basic steps you need to follow to clean stained grout. By the wa, cleaning grout with bleach is not effective and could be dangerous.  Bleach can be part of a commerical cleaner, but never mix chemicals yourself.