Upholstery Spot-Treating Tips

"New Couch" by Reed Wiedower is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

We all have our accident-prone moments, from spilling red wine on the white couch or dropping a pen on the good furniture. When these tiny accidents happen, you don’t need to call in a professional cleaning company or try to use your stain-remover pen. Just follow these steps from Apartment Therapy and you will be on your way to stain-free upholstery!

Vacuum: Upholstery should be vacuumed frequently to keep the fabric in good shape and prevent dust and crumbs from settling into the body of the furniture. In the case of an old stain, it's surprising how much a simple vacuuming can help the fade the stain. It should always be the first step in dealing with this kind of damage, you don't really know what you're dealing with, or how bad the stain truly is until all of the loose particles have been sucked away by the vacuum.

Assess: Check your furniture for its cleaning codes. This gets you on the right track of how to best tackle your stain. Some pieces can be cleaned with water, others will require moving directly into various solvents. If your furniture lacks a cleaning code, which is often the case with vintage and antique pieces that have been modified over the years, do a simple spot test on a hidden piece of upholstery. I like to test water, vodka, and vinegar because they're always my first choices for cleaning, before getting into the more heavy-hitting chemical stuff.

Steam: If your furniture can be cleaned by water hitting the stain with a bit of steam loosens it up and makes the stain more responsive to treatment. I typically just grab my iron and and use the steam button for this application, I don't find it necessary to drag out the steamer to deal with small areas.

Clean, Phase 1: This is the phase where you cross your fingers and hope that a simple solution is all that's needed. If your furniture can be cleaned with water, mix a little dish soap with cool water, and using a wrung out sponge blot the stain with the soap mixture. Take care not to rub at the stain, at this point it's unlikely that the stain will set in deeper, but rubbing can weaken and pill your fabric. Rinse the sponge and use just water to blot out some of the soap mixture. Press dry with a cloth or paper towels. If your furniture cannot be cleaned with water, use vinegar or vodka on a cloth to blot the stains. The smell of both vinegar and vodka will disappear when the area is dry.

Clean, Phase 2: Time to go heavy duty and break out the cleaners. Any cleaner you choose to use should be spot tested in a discrete place on the piece of furniture. Some people swear by Resolve, or Tuff Stuff, and Jenny Komenda of Little Green Notebook has had some truly remarkable results with Folex. I'm fortunate that my stains came out without having to venture into this territory, but on several separate occasions when an entire glass of red wine or a mug of hot coffee has spilled Wine Away has been a real life saver. It managed to entirely remove red wine stains (caused by an unfortunately placed glass being flung across the room by an exuberant hand gesture) from the two brand-new cream side chairs in my living room.

Repeat: If your stain has survived this entire cleaning process, you are dealing with one stubborn stain. As exhausting—and possibly irritating—as the process can be, doing it all over again can give you the result you're looking for. The previously mentioned wine on white chairs situation took two full passes before the stains came out. I really thought when I entered Phase 2 for the second time that there was no way these stains were going anywhere, but perseverance paid off and the stains disappeared!

Celebrate: The seemingly impossible to remove set-in stain has been conquered! Hooray! Feel free to share your accomplishments with friends, so long as you offer to help out if they ever have need of your stain removing powers.

Prepare: Just in case a spill happens in the future that you can take care of immediately, here are some tips and tricks for how to spot clean upholstery stains that have just happened.

Happy cleaning!

5 Facts About Renters Insurance

"Student Rental Apartment" by State Farm is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Whether you’re moving into an apartment for the first time or have lived in one for years, is renters insurance something you are considering? It may be lower on your list after car or life insurance, but coverage for renters is something that relatively inexpensive that could pay off big time. Here are some things to consider about renters insurance, courtesy of Apartment Guide.

1. Your landlord’s policy doesn’t cover your personal property. Often, renters assume that their property’s insurance policy covers them in the event of trouble, such as a fire, flood, power outage that damages personal property, or burglary. Only when the worst happens do they discover that the landlord’s policy only covers the building, not the tenant’s personal property. Renters insurance protects you against financial loss, providing money you can use to replace or repair your personal belongings. Typically, a landlord will only reimburse a tenant for personal property if the damage or loss resulted from the landlord’s negligence. Check your lease for a clause that discusses insurance for renters, as many landlords include this as part of the standard apartment lease contract.

2. You need liability protection. Accidents happen, and even as a tenant, you may be liable for personal injuries affecting your guests or neighbors. For example, if a guest slips and falls in your apartment they may seek injury compensation from you. Likewise, if your pet bites a neighbor or the mailman, you could face a liability lawsuit. The same applies to common household mishaps, such as overflowing tubs that send water gushing down over a neighbor’s personal belongings. Renters insurance provides financial protection for such situations.

3. Replacement costs can be high. Maybe you don’t have many valuable possessions. Perhaps your television is an older model and you purchased your couch second-hand. Even in such cases, replacement costs can be high, and renters insurance provides a way for you to replace your possessions without undue stress or financial hardship. While replacing one or two items might not break the bank, consider the cost of replacing all or most of your belongings after a fire or flood. According to Bankrate.com, the cost to replace the personal property in a one-bedroom apartment with a single occupant would easily exceed $13,000.

4. Renters insurance can be inexpensive. While renters insurance premiums do vary, policies are generally priced to minimize their cost and fit tight budgets. In fact, many policies cost less than $1 per day. If that’s not enough encouragement for you, consider that policies are usually dependent on the estimated value of your household possessions and the typical risks you face. For example, if you don’t need flood insurance, your premiums may be less than those paid by renters in flood zones. Additionally, if money is tight, some people opt for higher deductibles, which typically result in lower premiums. While this strategy can lower premiums, keep in mind that you have to pay the deductible in the event of a claim. For example, if you have a $500 deductible and experience $5,000 in losses, you will have to pay that $500 out of pocket. Opting for a higher premium instead may be a better option if coming up with a lump sum of cash will be difficult when you’re filing a claim.

5. Replacement cost policies give more bang for your buck. Some renters insurance policies provide actual cash value in the event of a claim. This means that the insurance company will pay what your property was worth at the time of the theft, damage, or loss. Since personal property depreciates, this could leave you very low on funds for replacing your property with brand new purchases. In contrast, replacement cost or replacement value policies pay the amount it will cost to replace the lost or damaged item at current prices.

Apartment Guide has you covered for everything from finding the apartment of your dreams to making the right financial moves with renters insurance. Buying renters insurance is a smart option for every apartment dweller, so start shopping by searching for renters insurance reviews online or by speaking with a reputable insurance agent.

Have you ever experienced something as a renter where you wished you had renters insurance? Share your story in the comments.

Create a WOW Room

"Gray Blue Lime Teal Living Room" by Emily May is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Have you ever walked into someone’s home or apartment and just thought, “Wow!” as you looked around the room, only to get back home and feel like something is missing from your own space? How can you take your room from “hmm…” to “WOW”? Apartment Therapy shares these tips:

1. The right rug.

There's nothing like a rug to really tie a room together. The right rug can help to establish a room's color scheme, add texture, and unify disparate elements. Think of the rug as being the thing that balances out the other elements in the room. Is your room really colorful? Look for rug in neutral tones. If your room if full of smooth, shiny surfaces, consider a rug with a little bit of texture. Texture is really important. For even more advice on picking the right rug, click here.

2. Plants.

The human eye is naturally drawn to shapes that are found in nature, and every room could benefit from a little something organic. A great way to achieve this is with plants. They make a room more interesting and give it color and life (literally).

3. The right art.

No room is ever complete without art. The mistake that most people make when choosing art is that they don't get enough of it, and the things they pick aren't big enough. Take a critical look at your space: if your art pieces look a bit lost on the wall, or they seem dwarfed by the furniture, it's probably because they are too small. You can incorporate your existing art into a gallery wall, or try out one of these methods for creating large scale art or filling up a big blank wall.

4. Lighting.

Lamps (and pendants and chandeliers and whatnot) are important not just because they make a room look cool, but because the right lighting can make you see a room in a completely different way. Check out our guides to picking the right lighting for your living room, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen.

5. Textiles.

Textiles are what make a room seem warm and comfy and inviting. Throw pillows, blankets, curtains — these are the things that make the difference between a really pretty showroom floor and a home. If the only thing on your windows right now is blinds, adding at least a roman shade will help your whole room seem cozier and more complete. And pillows and throws are a gimme. Use them to make tiny tweaks to your space. Need more color? A little texture? A little shine? Add some pillows. Bam. Done.

What else would you add to this list?

12 Things You Should Never Get Rid Of

"25/365 - Organization" by Becky Wetherington is licensed under CC BY 2.0

No, we don’t want to turn you into a hoarder, but when downsizing or moving, there are certain things you should keep. Some of these things contain personal information and some are sentimental, and you may not need to keep these items forever, unless they share special value to you. House Beautiful provides us with a list of the essentials:

1. Family heirlooms. “Sterling silver candlesticks from your great, great grandmother should make the cut,” says Professional Organizer, Barbara Reich. “Evaluate these and again, which ones are truly meaningful to you and your family currently?” advises Watson. “Which ones do you truly love and value? These are the ones to keep and take with you to your new home.”

2. Electronics of any sort.  At least until you've completely wiped out all your personal information.  “I can't tell you the number of people who go on massive de-cluttering binges and don't take the time to clear all their personal information,” warns professional organizer and owner of Metropolitan Organizing, Geralin Thomas, who also worked on A&E’s Hoarders.

3. Photographs. “You may need to digitize these, but you don’t want to lose them,” says Reich.

4. Important Papers. “It’s important to let go of as much paper that you have accumulated as possible,” says organizing expert and owner of Supreme Organization, Jodie Watson. “However, you will need to keep the following documents so don’t purge these: Birth & Death Records, Marriage Licenses, Divorce Decrees, SS Cards, Pension Plan Documents, Medical Records, Insurance Policies, Passports, Wills, Trusts, Power of Attorney Documents, Property Deeds, Investment Records, Education Records, Diplomas, Military Service Records and Vehicle Titles.“

5. Landline phones. You never know when you’ll run out of battery or service. “Keep at least one,” says Thomas.

6. Collections.  “You have obviously enjoyed collecting these items, so select your favorite few (3-5) that you love and value above all the rest,” says Watson. Whether it be dolls or vintage cars, it better to display and enjoy a few than to have them boxed away in storage.

7. Fine Jewelry AND the boxes they came in. “Having a piece of jewelry, in it's original box adds value when/if reselling it and keeps the piece of jewelry in mint condition,” says Thomas.

8. Basic kitchen and bathroom supplies. BUT only what you need—Pots and pans, a good quality chef’s knife, spatula, wooden spoon, blender, sheets and towels.  “You have duplicates you can leave behind, but make sure you have the basics with you,” says Reich.  And for the bathroom? “You should bring two sets of sheets per bed (one on the bed, one to change) and 4 towels per person.”

9. Unique, decorative items and sentimental items that bring back precious memories.  “A lock of hair from your child’s first haircut, the medal you won for running a marathon, etc.” says Reich. “These are items that you would not be able to replace and that hold a high sentimental value for you,” says Watson.

10. Emergency supplies. “Radio, landline phone, batteries, flashlight, first aid kit,” should all be on hand advises Reich. “And if you don’t have emergency supplies, now is the time to get them!”

11. Tags from expensive handbags. “When or if  you are consigning this will help prove authenticity and brings a much better price,” explains Thomas.

12. Medication and toiletries that haven’t yet expired. These can be expensive! Most importantly, “medication taken daily should be kept with you during the move,” says Reich

How do you tell what is TRULY meaningful? Watson shares her favorite trick. “In any given category, let’s say artwork that you have hung on the wall, ask this question, ‘If I could only take 3 pieces with me, which 3 would they be?’ With books, the question might be, ‘If I can only take 20 with me, which 20 would they be?’ This will help you discover the ones that are more meaningful than the others. These are the ones to take with you, the rest are negotiable.