Proper Floor Care

I hardly vacuum when RC was not yet born. Our apartment that we used to live has a very old carpet that needed to be replaced so aside from not having the enthusiasm working on an old carpet, there was not really much to vacuum except the dust that accumulates. But now whenever we eat, there is rice and food around where RC eats.

Now, I vacuum at least twice a week. Our carpet has some stains because I did not act immediately after RC spilled her drink. I was just researching on floor and carpet cleaning and I found this article. It has some precise information on how to take care of various types of floors like vinyl flooring, laminate flooring, carpet, ceramic tile and other hardwood.

Here are some information that I found useful for our carpet flooring. (I rephrased them.)

For crayons, you can use a detergent solution. I believe that crayons allow kids to boost their creativity in a lot of different ways but they are a pain to clean. RC loves colors and they’re part of our everyday.

For ink, there are various ways to clean it. I’ll try to use this next time. You can use white vinegar, dry cleaning or detergent solution. You can also use a nail polish remover.  I usually scrub the area right away when I see ink. I know it will just be better if I let RC don’t use any pen at all and just use pencils but pens are easier to find and there is no need to sharpen.

Once you see the spill, act immediately! For a complete list of floor care, you can go to prosourcefloors.com and click on the tab product knowledge. Sometimes, we stumble on these commercial websites and see informative resources.

3 Tips to Buying a Home for Sale at a Great Price

This article is written by my husband. Here it goes.

Since we have recently gone through the process to buy two foreclosed Missouri homes for sale, I think it’s great to share the experience on how to buy cheap homes. These are my 3 tips to buying a home for sale at a great price.

First, look through real estate websites. There are many to choose from and you should try to narrow it down to the region you’re interested most in, do a web search with the keywords Kansas City homes for sale or Kansas City real estate. Missouri real estate was not hurt as much by the downfall in housing prices, and the prices of Missouri homes for sale are very reasonable compared with most parts of the country.

Secondly, once you’ve narrowed down your search to one area, then look for distressed properties, which are the foreclosed and short sales. Foreclosed homes have already been repossessed by the lender, and a short sale is a last ditch attempt to sell the home by the owner before the lender forecloses on it. These homes will be offered at lower prices in order to quickly sell them.

Thirdly, be prepared financially to buy the property you decide on during your search. Make sure you have a good credit score. And also make sure you have a large enough down payments stashed away in a bank account, and have the closing costs set aside too. You won’t be able to get a loan without a 20% or higher down payment. And after you’ve bought the distressed property, you’ll probably have to put money into repairs before it’s ready for you or renters. The real estate deals are certainly out there, and it can be fun looking for them.

Photo taken in Missouri.

I am participating in a blogger campaign in behalf of Bucks2Blog for Remax-Midstates and will be compensated.

4 Tips for Moving to Hawaii

Long distance moving can be stressful but if you do your research about the place you are moving to, you will be able to make the move a lot easier. I’ll share some tips about moving to Hawaii. I moved here many years ago and I love living here.

1. If you’re moving to Hawaii, make sure your household goods are packed by a reliable long distance moving company. A nationally known company will provide a full range of services and the quality of their work is normally high. Have your furniture packed and shipped at least four weeks before your expected arrival to give plenty of time for shipment.

2. If you’re shipping a car, take all your personal items out of the car before you reach the port. Car shipping companies do not allow anything in the car when you turn it in for shipment. Also, you need to have less than 1/8 tank of gas when you arrive at the shipper’s location.

3. If you’re bringing a pet, make sure you check the state laws of Hawaii about bringing animals into the state. Hawaii is a rabies-free area, and they want to keep it that way. At a minimum, your pet will need current rabies shots and a health certificate.

4. And the last tip is to learn to slow down and enjoy life. The pace of life is much slower here than in other places, and people are generally very friendly and will go out of their way to make you feel welcome. You’ll notice lots of diversity in everything from people to food. Enjoy your move to Hawaii; you’ll be living in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

If you are moving to another state and you’re in the mainland, you can do your research about the reliable long distance movers in the nation. What about you, what are your moving tips?

I am participating in a blogger campaign by Bucks2Blog and was compensated. However, the views and opinions are my own.