Don’t Break the Glass! Glass Safety Tips from Glass Doctor(R)


Glass is a large part of every house: sliding glass doors, windows, lamps, dinnerware, coffee tables and more. It's beautiful and useful, but each pane can pose a risk. For National Safety Month, incorporate these glass safety tips to reduce glass-related accidents.


Waco, TX (PRWEB) June 12, 2012

Glass is useful and beautiful, but unfortunately, it can be a safety hazard. It’s a major building and decorating material in every house: sliding glass doors, windows, lamps, dinnerware, coffee tables and more. Each pane can pose a risk. Keep kids safe and prevent accidents with a few adjustments.

Sliding Glass Doors
Forgetful kids or visitors can easily mistake a closed door for an  open one and run into the door, causing bruises, concussions, broken noses or serious cuts.

Glass panes older than 20 years, are most likely not made of safety glass. Tempered glass, a type of safety glass, offers greater strength than normal glass. But when it does break, it shatters into small cubes, reducing the likelihood of serious injury.

Window and Door Locks
Locks for all kinds of windows and doors (including sliding glass doors) can be purchased at a local hardware store. The locks prevent kids from opening the doors and windows, thereby preventing falls and other dangerous situations. Window stops, which are screwed into the window frame and block the window from sliding open too much, are another option. Keep in mind, window screens do not prevent falls, so locks or stops are needed to ensure fall prevention.

Furniture
Glass tabletops or other pieces of furniture with glass should be made of tempered or laminated glass. These forms of safety glass don’t shatter into tiny shards like normal glass. Laminated glass is a layer of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) between two sheets of glass. When laminated glass breaks, the glass stays adhered to the PVB and does not shatter. For custom-cut safety glass, contact your local Glass Doctor®.

Some accidents are unavoidable. The key is to react quickly and clean it up immediately. Make sure kids and pets steer clear, if possible. Immediately after feet and paws are safe, sweep and vacuum the area. Be sure to put the glass in a separate bag or container and place it in an outside receptacle.

Broken glass is only part of the equation if a child is involved. Children can become emotional if they witness a glass breakage, especially if they’re to blame. Stay calm and use it as a lesson on the dangers of glass.

Teach your kids this easy acronym to remember what to do when there’s broken glass:

G: Get a parent.
L: Let the parent pick up the glass.
A: Avoid the area of broken glass.
S: Stay clear of the area until it is cleaned up.
S: Safe habits will keep you safe.

Before glass does break, make sure you have a first aid kit with antibiotic ointment, bandages and gauzes to treat minor injuries.

Copyright:  http://www.virtual-strategy.com/2012/06/12/don%E2%80%99t-break-glass-glass-safety-tips-glass-doctorr

   

Keep outdoor furniture in good condition with these cleaning tips


Published: Thursday, May 24, 2012, 10:30 AM
If you haven’t already done so, no doubt you’ll soon be digging out your backyard chairs, tables and umbrellas in order to enjoy the warm days of summer from the comfort of your home. 
But setting up your patio furniture and maintaining it are two different things. How can you ensure your nice furniture stays in tip-top condition?
  
Relax. With just a little bit of effort — and some tips from Kelli Gehman, a sales representative at Bowman’s Stove and Patio in Ephrata and Kyle York of the Home Depot store in Hampden Twp. — you can make sure your wicker or wrought iron pieces stay in good shape for years to come.
  
There are three times you’ll want to clean your patio furniture: When you bring it out for the first time, once in the middle of the summer, and right before you store it away. (Of course, you might decide to give it a touch-up if you’re having company visit.)
  
When bringing out your furniture initially, make sure all the bolts and clips are tight and securely fastened, as the metal will expand and contract with the change in seasons.
 
Don’t use generic pressure washers to clean your furniture. “They are too rough on most furniture and they’ll take paint off or tear fabric,” Gehman said. So don’t take it to the car wash, and don’t dump it in the pool to rinse off either.
 
When cleaning wicker furniture, Gehman recommends to use a big sponge — the kind you use to clean your car. Soap it up using a gentle laundry detergent or dish detergent and then wash the piece.
  
Gehman also recommends using car wax to clean the exposed metal or aluminum sections of your outdoor furniture. Use a little bit, let it soak in and wipe it down so it doesn’t get brittle. Try not to do this on an overly hot day. Instead, shoot for a cloudy or overcast day, when the rain can help it set and soak in.
  
Are your wrought iron pieces scratched up and starting to rust? York suggests cleaning the area with a wire brush or medium sandpaper. Then paint the area with paint specially made for outdoor furniture.

When cleaning the upholstery, use a simple, nonabrasive detergent or cleaner that won’t stain the fabric. Gehman suggests using a baby’s hair brush as a scrubber.
 
If you want to go with a store-bought product, York says there are a number of patio furniture cleaners available, though they tend to work best with plastic furniture.

Avoid using cleaners and detergents that have a strong, sweet odor as they will attract bees and other insects.

Are your cushions covered in pollen and dirt? A good shop vacuum can suck up that up.
 
Flip your cushions over every so often to prevent one side from fading too much over time. You might want to invest in a good fabric cleaner, too.
 
Be wary of fertilizers and any other chemicals you use to treat your lawn. Those products can waft through the air and land on your furniture, degrading it over time. If you do treat your lawn, hose down your furniture occasionally to wash any chemicals off. This goes for pool chemicals as well.

Be careful when using your weed whackier. They can fling stones and other objects into your furniture that will chip paint and cause other damage.
 
Be sure to put away your furniture at the end of the summer season. If inside storage isn’t an option, York recommends purchasing a patio cover, a thick, canvaslike material designed to cover tables, chairs and other pieces and protect from the elements. Be sure to remove any cushions and store them away before you use the cover though.
  
If you don’t have a place to store your cushions, York suggests getting a deck box, a large plastic container that can keep the cold and wet away from your cushions and other materials.
  
Take your umbrella down before a big thunderstorm. Strong winds can lift an umbrella up in the air, which, if  attached to your glass table, can result in the table falling over and shattering. 

Studio Apartment: Decoration Dos & Don'ts


Having a small home can sometimes be a blessing in disguise. A studio apartment for example should fuel your imagination like never before. It gives you the privilege to stay in a largely undivided space. To decorate an apartment like this is giving shape to something raw; you can give it any shape you like and it will belong to you totally.

The definition of a studio apartment is that it has no rooms. All you have is a 'studio' like space with an open kitchen. Only the bathroom has a door. These are good as bachelor pads, a love shack for couples or a home/office for professionals who work from home. To decorate an apartment like this, you can take help from our creative genius.


Studio Apartment: Decoration Dos & Don't

Ways To Customize A Studio Apartment:


1. Don't be scared to change things around. It is your apartment and you can adapt it anyway to suit your needs. If you want the kitchen on the left side to use the window space better, be it. Do not think twice  before modifying your own space.

2. Don't be scared to chuck. If you are moving into a small home from a bigger one, you have to sacrifice a few things like your old cricket bat or the first mobile phone. Do not be scared to discard some of your old useless things for making some space in your new home. Clutter is an absolute no-no in a studio apartment.

3. Create your own space. When you have a small space to decorate, then you should always split it up into sections and dedicate each space for some important activity. For example, your bed and the bed lamp constitute your sleeping space. The kitchen and a tiny kitchen table is your eating area.

4. Use colours to distinguish space. Since you do not have any walls dividing the space in your small home, you can depend on colours to do this job. Paint your kitchen area red, bedstead yellow and living space blue. Colours will look attractive and help differentiate space easily.

5. Do not buy any furniture that you do not have space for. For example, a huge dinning table is a luxury you cannot afford in a studio apartment. So, do with a small kitchen table. You might even choose to eat on your centre table.

6. Improvisation is the most important thing about living in a studio apartment. Your book case can serve as a makeshift side table. Your sofa can be used as a make shift bed when guest come over and so on.

7. Always keep some storage space. You are living in a small space but, you still need to stow and store things. Either have lofts built into your walls or use furniture that can store things. Box beds and divans are very useful in studio apartments.

Do you have any other bright ideas to utilize space while decorating a small apartment?

Copyright:  http://www.boldsky.com/home-n-garden/decor/2012/studio-apartment-decorate-029647.html
  

WATCH OUR TV SPOT




Please visit our website at http://www.jrfurniture.biz/ to check out our inventory and specials!

General Furniture Care Tips.

June 12, 2012 4:15 am


Your new furniture will be a part of your everyday life. Whether utilitarian or aesthetic—whatever the purpose, your new furniture deserves the best care you can provide.


This information is not about restoring or repairing furniture; it is about caring for and preventing damage. Understanding and dealing with the causes of damage will protect your investment and increase the longevity of your furniture. These tips will help minimize preventable damage to your furniture.


Homeowners invest a significant amount into the furniture placed in a home, and proper care and treatment will make that investment last for years to come. The general tips that follow will help extend the life of any type of furniture.
  • Ensure furniture is not in direct sunlight for extended periods
  • Keep your furniture dust-free
  • Polish or use a cleaner on your furniture every 4-6 months
  • If a spill occurs, clean it up as soon as possible to prevent stains or warp in the furniture
  • Keep furniture away from air conditioning and heating events
  • Use coasters and/or placemats to protect furniture from scratches and condensation


Top tips for furnishing your property

Published on Tuesday 22 May 2012 17:41


You are buying a new home and to celebrate you have decided to refurnish throughout. It’s an expensive exercise of course so you may not be able to get everything at once and will therefore have to prioritise, make choices.

The advantage however is, you can start from the floor and work up, co-ordinating everything, installing chosen items more or less at leisure. Not for you the chaotic pile of furniture and crates needing to be unpacked, sorted and distributed. You can plan each room carefully, indulging your impeccable taste, satisfying your artistic flair so the home will eventually be a showcase, an exhibition of the essential you.

We must assume naturally that the decor will have been chosen and executed, walls, ceilings, woodwork, lighting and floors dressed, ready and waiting for the things that will turn this shell of a house into the home you have always dreamed of.

First consider the floors. Do you want carpets, tiles or polished wood? Wander round your local showrooms and pick up their ideas. If there is a home style exhibition on anywhere accessible to you, go and visit. Take notes and see if any of the ideas can be translated into your new space. Choose carefully, mistakes can be expensive. If you choose carpets, make sure they are suitable for the area they are destined for. The store salespeople will be happy to advise. If you choose tiles, make sure their glaze will be unaffected by grit trodden in from outside. If wood is your choice, ask yourself about maintenance. Will you have to polish every day? Will you have time?

When floors are settled upon, look to the window dressings, they can match, complement or contrast with floorings. Again you have choices, net curtains, heavily lined drapes complete with quilted linings, will you choose simple yet attractive blinds or a combination of the lot? Curtains may be bought ‘off the peg’, made-to-measure or as fabric lengths for making up at home. If you are short on time, get them made up, you can’t beat a really professional job.

With carpets and curtains in place, you are free to start choosing the ‘hard stuff’. Naturally you will want somewhere to sleep so perhaps a bed should be your first choice. Beds these days are high tech items. Whether they are water beds, electrically operated beds or traditional divans with interior sprung mattresses, they come in a huge selection of sizes, degrees of softness and colours. The only way to choose is to try them out in the showroom where you must put aside those feelings of embarrassment as you lie down, toss and turn and roll gently about. That bed will determine your state of mental and physical health, so get bouncing right away. A bed is too expensive an item to be bought blind!

With floorings, window dressings and the bed bought, the basics are in hand so time to start on the rest. Somewhere to eat means table and chairs. If funds are short, a table and stool set are a good bet to begin with. They will stack neatly away when the home is fully furnished but will provide that vital necessity to begin with. This will allow time and funds to be spent on somewhere comfortable to sit and relax. A lounge suite of some sort is a must. Be it a traditional three-piece suite or a combination of chairs and sofas of various sizes, it will provide the comfort essential for the end of the day relaxation because new home or not, life and work still go on and you will need somewhere at the end of a hard day, to sit and relax in front of the telly - high definition of course.

So you have the essentials, time enough to purchase the rest of the furniture you will require to make your home a place to be proud of. Whatever you do, remember to go for quality. You never get more than you pay for. Today’s best furniture purchases are really the antiques of tomorrow, so go for the very best you can afford. Mind you, the odd antique added to enhance the look of your modern pieces can be very effective but be careful what and where you buy. There is undoubtedly a lot of rubbish around.

With the furniture bought and in place you can add those final finishing touches such as the lamps, the shades, the cushions, that quilted bed spread you have always wanted, not to mention the odd picture (original if possible), lovely piece of porcelain, books for those shelves and bold items of brass in the fireplace.
Furnishing a new house is exciting, satisfying and fun. In fact as a life’s experience it is only rivalled buy the purchase of the house itself..

Copyright:  http://www.selbytimes.co.uk/community/property-news/top-tips-for-furnishing-your-property-1-4572907