Monday, June 2, 2014

Top 5 Tips on Home Improvement on a Budget

For many of us, it would be a pleasure to improve the quality of our homes without spending too much. Home improvement may be an intimidating thing to approach for most homeowners, but there are tried and tested methods out there proven to be easy, safe, effective, and cost efficient. Without further ado, here are the top five tips for a win-win home makeover:


1.    Easy and Affordable Painting

Want to come up with a makeover for your kitchen but do not have the budget of millionaires? You can bring to life your drab appliances, faucets and countertops with Thomas’ Liquid Stainless Steel. This painting product is a water-based resin in stainless steel liquid form. It gives a brushed-stainless look, which is durable like that of an automotive-grade finish.

You can also save on painting materials by doing this trick. You can make your own spray paints by recycling spray bottles and using acrylic paints. Mix two parts acrylic paint to one part water and shake well. Put inside your spray bottles and now you have your own spray paints for a home makeover.

2.    Cleaning Floors and Furniture

If you want to save money from spending cleaning products that you only use once in a while, there are actually products that can be found in your kitchen that can be used as an alternative.

For cleaning hardwood floors, use boiling water and two teabags. Steep the two teabags in boiling water for a few minutes. Then, pour the tea into a bucket. Damp a soft cloth with the tea and wring it out. It doesn’t need to be soaked so that the floor can dry quickly. Apply the damp cloth on the floor and see how it creates an incredible sheen. The teabags have tannic acid that creates this fabulous shine on hardwood floors.

To make your floors spotless and clean, use this recipe that involves ingredients you can find in you cupboards. Mix ¼ cup white vinegar, 1-tablespoon liquid dish soap, ¼ cup baking soda, and 2 gallons warm tap water. This is a heavy-duty floor cleaner that leaves the whole room smelling wonderful.

3.    Cleaning Your Plumbing Utilities

To clean out your clogged drain and get it running again, pour in ½ cup soda and ½ cup vinegar. Cover it with a wet cloth and wait for five minutes. After that take off the wet cloth and flush the drain with steaming hot water. Now you don’t have to use toxic chemicals just to clean that hard to handle drain.

Toilets are usually the biggest bane when it comes to making sure your house, especially your bathroom, is spotless and clean. For an easy and inexpensive way to clean your toilet pour in a cup of baking soda to it and leave it for one hour. After that you can flush the toilet and it will definitely clean stains and absorb odor.

To clean hard to remove grime from your toilet, drop a couple of Alka-Seltzer tablets and wait for 20 minutes. Flush the toilet and the citric acid will dissolve the grime.

4.    No-Fuss Insulation

Seasons change and you better start preparing for the onslaught of weather. One very simple and effective way is to use mineral wool quilting for insulation. Lay it down between the joists that make up the floor of your house and cross lay it with a second sheet. It may costs a few hundred bucks to do this, but it will pay for itself in the long run. You could save hundreds of dollars per year on your electrical bill just with this practical insulation tip.

5.    Shopping For the Best Home Improvement Materials

When you have made your list of materials for a home improvement budget, shop for them in the trusty big chains that give the best deals out there. They will give you great value for your money as you are assured of  good quality. You can also buy in bulk from a builder’s merchant to save a lot of money, as well as have something in store for the rainy days.



There you have it! Home improvement need not be difficult and expensive for the average homeowner. These are just a few tips on tackling major aspects in making your home a better place to live. Put this on a file or pin this to your board as a guide for your home improvement projects.

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