How to Clean Chimney

If you own a house with a chimney, it’s vital to examine and clean it occasionally. This will keep it functioning efficiently and lessen the risk of a chimney fire. Creosote, which is highly flammable, and soot accumulate on the chimney walls, tumbling the draft and allowing smoke into your home.


To clean your chimney yourself, you will need a properly-sized chimney brush, brush rods or ropes, pull rings, a fireplace cover, coverings for furniture and rugs, tape, a metal bucket, a small shovel, a vacuum, and a powerful flashlight. It’s important to wear eye guards, gloves, and a dust mask when you clean a chimney. Always be aware of electrical and fire hazards. When handling brushes, be vigilant. A spring-like brush wire can cause eye injury and puncture skin. Keep these away from children.

Start by wrapping the interior of the fireplace with plastic so soot and dirt can fall on it while cleaning. Once the bottom portion is done, it’s time to go to the roof and begin cleaning the top. Attach a 20-pound weight to one end of the brush with a pull ring then fasten a rope long enough to reach the bottom of the chimney. Lower the brush down and back up again to clean the sides. If you are using rods, attach them to the brush and use the same action. Vacuum up any debris or soot once you’ve finished.

You can also use the “dual line method” which requires two people working together, one on the roof and one at the opening. Your daughter will be the right helper for holding the ladder and handing you necessary tools for cleaning the top and inner side of the chimney. Each person alternately pulls on the ropes to move the brush up and down the flue.

A chimney located above a stove should be cleaned about every two weeks to keep it running properly. Wipe the exterior part of the chimney with a cloth dipped in cleaning liquid. Also, keep the nearby walls, woodwork, and tiles clean, as grease can stick to them and potentially cause a fire. Replace any charcoal filters every 6 months or whenever an odor sets in or grease builds up. Wash mesh filters in warm water with detergent every 8 to 10 days. Baffle filters should be cleaned the same way every 2 or 3 weeks.

If it is the weekend and your family members have extended you a helping hand, make sure they have some dividend once you are through. What about a gala dinner that evening with exclusive delicacies that your hubby and daughter love? That would be exciting! This is the right opportunity to show your cleaned kitchen chimney’s performance.

Cleaning your chimney is not as hard as you might think, but it can be dodgy and exhausting. If it sounds like more than you’re willing to undertake, consider hiring a chimney sweep. If you have had a fire in your chimney, you should have a professional examine it before using it again.

Maintaining Your Living Room

The living room is the first place that a visitor sees when being welcomed into our homes. It is the gateway to our house and gives the first impression of what can be expected in the rest of the house. If clutter tends to accumulate in your family room, adding a wastebasket can reduce the congestion. Many do not think to place a wastebasket in the family room but they in fact can be very aesthetically pleasing. Select a basket that suits the décor of the room. If food will be placed in the wastebasket, make sure to select one with a lid and deodorized garbage bags.


The family room gets cluttered more because it tends to be the central gathering place in the house. Due to the amount of electronics in the family room, such as televisions, video game consoles, DVD players and surround sound, cords can become entangled and unattractive. You have several options for taming cords. Then most attractive option, in my opinion, is the thin Cableyoyo. It coils up to six feet of cable and comes with adhesive that sticks to most any surface. To increase storage, cubes, rolling baskets or bins can be placed under a table. Behind the sofa is a great place for a trunk, cabinet or low bookcase. A corner can be a great place for a small library or a child's corner for toys. I find that adding wheels the to the child's toy storage keeps them from feeling limited to one area.

A nice décor can add to any living area. Hiring an interior designer can help those who may not be good at decorating themselves. I can create a theme in your living room that comprises all furniture, fixtures, décor, drapery, rugs, lighting and even plants. It's ideal for the living room to be in the east, not southeast corner, or in the north. However, it's more beneficial if the room is in the north side of the house. Any sloping in the flooring of the living room should be towards the east or north. It's important to keep neutral color combinations in order to maintain decorative flow. The color of the walls and the tile shouldn't be white, yellow, blue or green. I find that a neutral feel can also be incorporated by opening up the room and letting in natural light. I designed a wood frame with a gauzy, cream fabric stretched across it for light and privacy. The television should be in the southeast corner. An air conditioning vent should be in the western part of the living room. If you're thinking of adding a fancy chandelier to the room, do not center it but keep it slightly towards the west. A desk can be a great place for paper storage and a computer monitor.

If you want to add texture to your room, I find that adding stripes from ceiling to floor gives depth. I've added banners of inexpensive cloth, like calico, and stapled or battened it at ceiling height at regular intervals along a bare wall and it will add both a lineal and textural addition to the room. One couple I worked with didn't want neutral colors but wanted something calming and uncluttered. I was able to maintain their need by using a pear hue and keeping the room's accent pieces black. I also find working with contrasts gives depth. Some ideas to keep in mind are polished stone against sub linen, rough wood against devour velvet, and wicker against muslin. If you have an extraordinarily geometrical or sharpened rimmed space, using textures to tone and soften is the way to go.

Always consider what you're working with when thinking about an interior designer. If you have inherited an old house along with old furniture and drapes then I may think about sticking to a Victorian-themed interior. The dark colors associated with the Victorian era are romantic and classy. So if you're thinking of a different style interior it may not work well with what you've already got.

If you no longer listen to the music or haven't seen the movie in ages (and don't plan on seeing it again), it's time to let go.

Dining Room Arrangements That Make Magic

 A well decorated dining room can really impress guests at a dinner party.  It is a room that is always evolving to keep the pace with changing lifestyles.  The current trend that will only grow in popularity is the return to a scaled-back, more simplified way of life.  The demand for smaller scale furniture is on the rise driven by younger consumers, baby boomers and second home owners.

To create a more glamorous dining area, I would use an elongated chandelier, a lot of glass, and painted furniture embellished with gold.  A mirror adds a nice touch and opens the room up.  A plain glass table with white leather chairs creates a captivating room.  For lighting, I would use ceiling down lights so that it focuses on the table.  Don't overdo the lighting because it can hurt the eyes.

For a modern dining room, I find that a simple metallic table with black chairs works wonderfully.  Again, I would suggest using ceiling down lighting to focus on the table and soften the surrounding areas.  A nice, delicate flower arrangement will complete the look.

Lighting is key in a dining area.  It's important to not only have carefully positioned down-lights to bathe the walls in light but also pieces like antique chandeliers or fiber optics set into the glass surface of the table.   The background should match the rest of the home, so that it creates a nice flow and consistency.

If you have a small area to work with, there are several ways to give the illusion of a larger space.  Large windows and doors allow a lot of sunlight, creating a brighter room.  So your window glass now becomes a decorating material.  Transparency creates the illusion, as the outer and inner space have no limits.  So, the room which once felt cramped, now feels more spacious.  Adding glass doors to the entrance way can allow for a larger, more open feel as well.  I would use a neutral shade of paint in a smaller room, too.

I always start the decorating of a dining room with painting the walls and skirting boards the same color.  Then I measure the room to see what size furniture will fit comfortably.  After measuring, it's important to reserve at least 2-2.5 feet of space between the walls and the edge of the table.  A round shaped table may not always be suitable in a small space.  For rooms that are awkwardly shaped or long and narrow, a bench-like table would be suitable.  Also before adding furniture, the color scheme should be taken into consideration.  I think of the rug as the first layer to consider, followed by the chair seat covers.  When picking out furniture, I always advise people to go with something that is timeless looking.

Some of my favorite looks and pieces for a dining area include; a stone floor, steel banded chairs, a glass top table, a modern metal light fixture, and granite layering the curved buffet.   All of the varying textures create a memorable room.  For an interesting divider, in a room that's large enough, a water wall fountain can be used.

The way the room and furniture is positioned is very important to its appeal.  A dining area should not be adjacent to a bathroom.  A console or buffet used for storage of crockery and utensils should be on the southern or western wall.  Ideally, the room itself would be in the western corner of the house as morning sunshine is good for your health.  Should you decide to place a refridgerator in the room, it should be facing southeast.

Dining Room Renovation

Dining Room Renovation

By:Kosi Durueke

Editor: Natalie Perez

It was on a cool Saturday night, my wife and 2 kids went on a holiday and were to come back in the one week. I was all alone in the house that night so I prepared a garden egg stew served with ripped boiled plantain, which has always been one of my all time favorites. That Saturday night was full of fun, as I enjoyed the wonderful dinner I have made for myself. At the same time I was also enjoying one of the hits of the Islay Brothers, which had put me to be calm and relaxed. Then an unexpected event occurred. Suddenly, the dining on which I was sitting, eating and enjoying myself broke, and everything on it poured away including myself who was then on the floor.

My face was looking like one that went stiffly. The fun that I was enjoying suddenly turned into sorrow. How sad! Truly sad for a young man whom was having a good time. I thought to myself, what must have caused the dining table to break? Just like that - but could not think anything positive at the moment so I stopped jogging my memory. As I went to have my sleep and as I was lying on my bed, I got an insight… something positive struck my min. So I decided to use that as an opportunity to welcome back my beautiful wife and kids. I planned on renovating our dining room totally different so that it will look spick and span (smart and clean).

Firstly, I said to myself that the dining room that was going to be renovated. It would not only be a place for my family and me to congregate, but to eat as it was before. The new dining room was going to be spacious so that it could accommodate quite a number of people. Secondly, I started to pick and choose (select carefully) the things needed to be in my new dining room, that was going to be renovated. After that, I started evaluating their cost and putting them under consideration. I finally came out with all that were needed to make my dining room look simple yet beautiful.

In my dining area, I put in a new solid mahogany table with three leaves that can seat up to ten people, and dining room chairs backed with the same starburst patterned fabric I used on the daybed. I then put up a wall of open cabinetry that will showcase fabulous china and crystal. I put up gorgeous linen damask panels with some light sheers to let in the natural light. To further lighten things up, I hung a traditional crystal chandelier in the dining room and two mini chandeliers near the front door, and put in some small ceiling lights and under cabinet puck lights. After adding a few more details and accessories, this grand-scale dining room renovation was complete. By opening things up, mixing modern features with traditional touches and making the spaces more conducive for entertainment. Finally, my dining room was set and looking exquisite.