Nancy Guenther

Making the Most of Natural Lighting

Balance is key for any home, but specifically for each individual space in a home. A good rule of thumb is to make sure major rooms in your home are illuminated from two different directions. This contrast brings a powerful dynamic to living spaces. If it's impossible to achieve this balance of light from two different directions, consider implementing a skylight. Skylights are great at subtly bringing more light into a room and diminishing harsher shadows.

Natural light also brings warmth to a room in more than one sense. Temperature wise, light contributes added heat that may be of interest during winter months. During the summer, intense mid-afternoon sunlight can be oppressive and unappealing. Take these situations into consideration when designing a room. Make sure rooms receive light at appropriate times of the day. For example, a porch should typically be shaded during the afternoon. Or, in a master bedroom, you may want your windows on the east side of the room so sunlight can enact as a natural wake-up call. It's worth plotting the course of the sun in a drawing of your site. Take into account trees, overhangs and other objects that may provide shade. Natural light also brings warmth, in an inviting sense, to spaces in your home. As humans, we are drawn to illuminated areas. If you want to improve the flow of your home from one room to another, use natural light to highlight staircases, walkways and other transitional spaces. By doing this, you're inviting individuals to move through your home while being guided by subtly marked pathways of light.

Natural lighting has an important impact on how things are illuminated in your home. Work with an interior architect in order to maximize your home's potential for capturing sunlight. For more tips on how you can illuminate your home with natural light, contact me today!

Maintaining Hardwood Floors

Not only do hardwood floors offer a polished look and durability, but if well-maintained it contains less allergens and VOCs than carpeting. As a result, hardwood floors can bring value to your home's worth. Follow these tips to keep your hardwood floors clean and in good condition.

Keep Moisture Out

When moisture seeps down into the flooring and gets trapped, the boards could begin to cup or dip in the center. A solution to this problem is to wipe up all liquid spills immediately with a soft cloth. Use a dehumidifier for flooring that resides in a humid room.

Daily Cleaning

Make sweeping the hardwood floors with a soft-bristled broom part of your daily routine. To clean shoe marks and scuffs, wet a soft cloth with water or wood floor cleaner. For little scratches, color in the area with a wood stain marker.

Protect

To keep high traffic areas looking nice, cover the flooring with a small rug. In addition, attach floor protecting pads to the bottom of furniture legs.

Know Your Floor

Be aware of what type of finish you have on your wood floor because specific cleaning and maintenance procedures coincide with particular finishes. Avoid finishes with harsh formaldehydes and other toxins that diminish indoor air quality. Safehomeproducts.com has a wide variety of safe hardwood flooring cleaners.

Home Emergency Kits

Since emergencies can happen without notice, it's important for you to prepare and be ready for all types of situations. Proper preparation can make a difference and ensure the well-being of yourself and the people you love should an emergency happen.

There are several great ways you can be prepared. One of the best and most important is to create a home emergency kit. Home emergency kits can be created using a large plastic container or a duffle bag. The container you choose should be large enough to hold at least three days worth of supplies, yet be moveable if evacuation is necessary.

Here are some items to include when assembling your kit:

• One gallon of water per person, per day (warmer climates might require more)
• Non-perishable food, low in salt to avoid excess thirst
• Eating utensils, including a manual can opener
• First Aid Kits
• Battery powered flashlights and radios with spare batteries
• Anti-stress items such as magazines, games, crosswords, etc.
• If applicable, canned pet food and extra water
• Blankets
• Fire Extinguisher

Education is a key part of being prepared. Educate yourself and your family on proper procedures to take when an emergency does occur. Be certain that each family member knows where the emergency kit is located as well as how to use what's inside. Following these simple tips will ensure that you and your family are prepared in case of emergency.

For more information regarding home emergency kits, visit www.ready.gov.