CasaSugar

Recipe For Clean: Silver Polish

CasaSugar — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:00:01 -0700

When getting our homes so fresh and so clean, don't overlook your silverware. If you've assembled your home cleaning kit you'll have most of the ingredients for this Recipe For Clean. Use it to make your silverware shine like the top of the Chrysler building.

Supplies:

3-in. square of aluminum foil
1 tbsp. of salt
1 tbsp. of baking soda
1 cup of warm water

To learn the steps of this recipe, read more.
Here's how:

Dissolve the salt and baking soda in the warm water.
Then, submerge the foil and your silverware in the solution.
Let it sit for one hour.
Rinse the silver under the faucet, and then wipe it dry with a cloth.

Or . . .

Rub any tarnished spots on your silverware with a non-gel toothpaste (white paste kind) with a soft cloth, and rinse.
Source

Casa Quickie: Furniture Polish in a Pinch

CasaSugar — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:13:24 -0700

Tired of using harsh cleansers on your furniture? Sick of that pine scent? Then whip up a batch of your own furniture polish using some very simple household items.

Just squeeze the juice from a lemon and mix with three tablespoons af water and two tablespoons of olive oil. Pour this mixture in a bottle and shake well. Make sure to only make a small batch, though, since the olive oil may become rancid if left in the bottle for too long.

Source

Recipe For Clean: Furniture Polish

CasaSugar — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:00:23 -0700

Have you assembled your home cleaning kit yet? If you have, you're in luck, because I have a great Recipe For Clean for furniture polish. Use it to get your home so fresh and so clean.

Supplies

4 oz. oil (2 1/2 ounces olive oil or jojoba, 1 1/2 ounces coconut oil)
1 oz. beeswax
1 oz. carnauba wax
4 oz. distilled water
double boiler
hand mixer

To find out the steps for this DIY, just read more.

Melt the oils and waxes in a double boiler over medium heat.
Remove from heat, pour in water, and mix with a hand mixer until thick and creamy.
Dab some cream onto a soft cotton rag and rub into the furniture.
Buff and polish until the oils are well worked into the wood.

This polish has a shelf life of six months to a year.

Source

Recipe For Clean: Wood Floor Polish

CasaSugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:00:31 -0700

When getting our homes so fresh and so clean, don't forget your floors! If you've assembled your home cleaning kit you'll have most of the ingredients for this Recipe For Clean. Use it to get your wooden floors gleaming.

Supplies

1/8 cup paraffin wax
1 quart mineral oil
10 drops essential oil or lemon oil
double boiler
rag

To find out the steps for this DIY, just read more.

Melt paraffin wax in a double boiler.
Add mineral oil and essential oil.
Apply to floor with a rag.
Let dry, then polish.

Source

Home Library: Majestic Metropolitan Living

CasaSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:00:10 -0800

Just a week after the fold of Metropolitan Home, I've got my hands on another city-centric design volume: Sue Hostetler's new book Majestic Metropolitan Living: Visionary Homes in the Heart of Cities. The shelter and design editor for magazines like Gotham, Hamptons, and LA Confidential, and the host of Plum Homes With Sue Hostetler on Plum TV (which "targets the most active, influential, and educated audience in the world"), Hostetler has tapped her cronies for tours of their unique and luxe urban dwellings.

The American dream of retiring to the pool and tennis courts in your countryside home is squashed by this book, which showcases a range of sprawling, real-life city homes. Each has an original sense of style, a warmth that defies traditional conceptions of "cold urban modernism," spectacular views, and in several cases, an outdoor space complete with a pool or lush garden. Many of the homes were created, not surprisingly, by converting former warehouses or other nonresidential buildings, or combining apartments.

Continue reading . . .

Casa Quickie: Try Toothpaste

CasaSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:15:33 -0700

Out of silver polish? In a pinch? You can use white toothpaste to clean the tarnish off your silver instead! Just run the silver under warm water and work the paste into a foam and then rinse it off. Since the toothpaste is more abrasive than polish, a little goes a long way - you don't need to use much. And, if there are any stubborn black spots in nooks and crannies, you can actually use a toothbrush (an old one) to get rid of them.

Ask Casa: Post-Grad Style

CasaSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:00:56 -0700

Hi Casa!
I'm 22 and I just started my first job out of college. Unfortunately, I still live with my parents. But I figure that if I have to do so then I might as well have a room I enjoy coming back to after a long day of work. I've been wanting to redecorate my room for a while now. However, I don't have a lot of money to spend on new furniture or décor. Most of my furniture is mismatched, and I've had it all since college. Do you have any tips on how I can update my room on the cheap and make it a place that I enjoy spending time?
Thanks! - Kerry

To hear my suggestions for Kerry, read more.

Hi Kerry,

Congrats! I don't think you're alone in this query. Luckily, there are a few easy and affordable things you can do to perk up your bedroom. The idea is to give your room polish and a distinct style, separate from how your parents may have decorated.

First of all, shed everything! If you'd moved into your new apartment, you wouldn't bring everything you've owned since grade school that's still sitting in your parents' house. So, go through it all and recycle, donate, or toss won't you don't want or need. This will give your room a more grownup, less cluttered feel.
Next, create symmetry. The easiest way to do this is to use matching nightstands or bedside table lamps. You can find very chic, affordable lamps at places like Target and HomeGoods. A nightstand can be just a simple side table.
Get a headboard. A headboard will instantly give your room a focal point, and curb any mismatched feel your other furniture gives off. If you can't afford a headboard, try any one of these 10 cool alternatives to off-the-shelf headboards.
Paint your mismatched furniture in one color - glossy white always works - to give the space cohesion.
Create a designated sitting area for reading, having your morning coffee, or making phone calls, etc., with a chair, small accent rug, and small side table. Then you won't feel trapped on your bed or hanging with your parents.
Paint your walls. Color is an easy and cheap fix for any room!
Give your bed a grownup makeover with white bedding, and add color and pattern with throw pillows or a bedskirt.
Find cheap artwork at flea markets, garage sales, or student art sales, or create your own.
Make the space cozy with a rug.
Go "shopping" in other rooms in your home. Look around your parents' home for furnishings that might facilitate the above. With an open mind, you never know what you may find.

Source

Ask Casa: Getting Nail Polish Off of a Wood Table

CasaSugar — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:00:39 -0700

Hi CasaSugar,

Last night I spilled clear nail polish on my boyfriend's Room & Board end table. I’m not exactly sure what it was, but I think it might have been solid maple, cherry, or walnut with a lacquer finish on it. Needless to say, he was not happy. Is there anything I can do about it? Or am I just going to have to live with a lifetime of guilt?

Thanks,
Susannah

To see my advice, read more.

Hi Susannah,

Oh no! I can relate! No need to live with a lifetime of guilt quite yet. My first question is whether or not you allowed the polish to dry as is, or if you smudged it with a cloth while it was still wet. If you let it dry as is, great! This is easier to deal with. Once the polish is dry, use a razor blade to carefully chip at the spot. Once it is chipped off, gently rub at the area with steel wool and furniture polish, to blend in the spot. However, if you scrubbed or wiped at the nail polish while it was still wet, you may have to have it professionally refinished. If you get an estimate, make sure to see if the table can be refinished only on the spot damaged by the polish, which will be much cheaper than having the whole table refinished.

I found some interesting home cures for this ailment online. I haven't tried any of them yet, so I can't guarantee they'll work, but here are a couple ideas:

One homespun method is to mix equal parts vinegar and olive oil and rub this mixture on the nail polish. Use a cloth dipped in warm water to rub the mixture into the stain and repeat as necessary.
Scrub the spot with mineral spirits, and then spray hair spray on the spot, let it sit for a few seconds, and gently wipe it off with a wet cloth.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

Casa

Link Time!

CasaSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:00:58 -0700

I love these blue and red rooms. AT:NY
Try some woolly DIY projects this Fall. AT:SF
I adore Kevin Waldron's children's book illustrations. Peacock Feathers
Swoon over this ostrich feather chandelier. Shelterpop
Kate Spade's new store in Japan is seriously chic. Happy Mundane
I like the polished masculinity of Lori Andrews Interiors. Grassroots Modern

Casa Quickie: Sayonara Adhesive Residue

CasaSugar — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:30:06 -0700

Has the label on your brand new uterus vase left you with a sticky residue that's not so pretty? If you have one handy, you can scrape away the adhesive with a craft blade, but that could potentially scuff up your fab new home accessory. A simpler solution, though, is to rub the residue with a cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover or rubbing alcohol. That should kick the stick instantly. Then, you can focus on explaining to your guests why you bought a uterus vase in the first place . . .
Source