My duvet is white with an orange flower, and my pillows are orange flowers, what can i do to my walls?!??!?!?

Q. i cant paint my walls, my sheets are hot pink and my pillows are white with pink and orange flowers, i need something cool, but not like a little kids room. i have a small room, but i need good ideas!

A. Find a solid sheet with the same colors as your duvet... maybe a pale green from the leaves. The pale green will "pull together" and ground all the other colors.

Find the center of the wall near the ceiling over your bed. Fold the sheet in half and nail the center of the edge of the sheet to the top of the wall over your bed. Then fan out the fabric and nail it to the wall about 3 feet away from the center on each side... you're basically making a fabric headboard behind the bed.
If you can't do this behind your bed, then use the sheet as a wall covering on one of the bedroom walls. Nail holes are very small and you can stretch the fabric taut.

Whatever you do, don't add more detail, flowers, or bright colors. You need to pull the whole scheme together and coordinate with a third, cool color.

Original Question

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Read more...

Any tips on how to best clean my apartment and get most of my deposit back?

Q. I will be moving out of my apartment at the end of this month and I was wondering if anyone had any tips on cleaning up. I've lived here for 14 months, with two dogs who went through potty training and using my carpet. I also had a brother spill red kool-aid and not tell me until now (He moved my couch over it months ago)

Other than the main carpet issue everything else is normal wear and tear, scuffed up dirty looking walls, dirty fridge and countertops, etc.


Any help would be appreciated!!

A. What you consider "normal wear and tear" may not be considered NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR by your landlord or the state you live in. Every state is different. By the sounds of it, its kind of groady. I would start by cleaning thoroughly, like your Grandma was going to come and live there after you! Clean out the cupboards, the counter tops, stove, oven, sinks and fridge thoroughly. If the carpet is stinky and stained that is NOT normal, have it cleaned, and if its a small area, I would consider replacing it with something similar, much less expensive than the carpet and padding and installation your landlord will RIGHTFULLY be able to charge you for. While carpet doesn't last forever, 14 months is short of what I used at a standard in my rental which was 5 years. No court ever refuse me on that one! And one judge thought that was generous after I pointed out that the manufacture had a 20 year warranty (couldn't use it for commercial purposes) on the carpet that I was precluded from using, as I was paid rent and therefore a commercial enterprise. Floors need to be swept, mopped, and vacuumed, bathrooms cleaned of your skin, soap scum and deposits. Bedrooms should be broom clean and all walls should be patched where pictures were hung, some simple white tooth paste (not the gels!) and if they are showing filth, I would consider wiping them down with a simple cleaning solution of a degreaser and baking soda. Remove all belongings, garbage and so on. Taking pictures of it cleaned, inside of fridge, oven and cupboards with all the doors open and each room is worth doing as a safety measure. Make arrangements to meet with the landlord to return the keys, preferably at the apartment, where both of you can do a walk through and note any discrepancies and put them on a piece of paper that both can sign stating this was cleaned or this wasn't. Talking to your landlord like he is going to KEEP your deposit and threatening to sue BEFORE you are entitled to your deposit back (in most states a landlord has 30 days to return it to you) is just asking to have a problem. I have had tenants that made arrangements with me prior to leaving, having carpets cleaned, having me meet them at the property and asking IN ADVANCE for a refund of their deposit, as they were leaving the state and needed ir for the next place or utility deposits and I accommodated them, with notice. But anyone who approached me like one poster suggested, would have gotten my lawyers direct line and told to contact him concerning their deposit, and I would not have mailed it one day before my 30 days were up! Leaving a mess and filth behind and expecting to get your deposit back is greedy and foolish. I have had renters who, like your brother, spilled something, had the carpet cleaned, but a no go on the kool aid and we made arrangements to have the carpet replaced at a reasonable cost (I know all the places to go and I know what I had in there and I know I don't want some piece of crap substituted for my good carpet, but I am reasonable too. One tenant had a carpet guy come in, his kid had spilled orange soda and covered it with a pizza box for 3 days and the carpet guy charged him $60. Turns out, it was the same guy I had used in the past and when I contacted him about the stain he agreed to refund the $60 to the guy and I got another guy I knew who had just finished a big job and had some very nice carpet that would cover this little area come in and do it for $100, so in essence, it was only an additional $40 and we solved the problem. But had he jerked me around, and been stupid and took me for a fool, I wouldn't have called the carpet guy and I wouldn't have pressed my friend to give me carpet worth 6x the price the price of the cost, just for the carpet. So it pays to be honest and be thorough. Most landlords are honest and are not interested in keeping deposits from good tenants, but yes, I have run into a few who look to take advantage. Do your best to clean it nicely and be proactive, invite him over to look on your last day and ask nicely when you can expect your deposit back, and if you think you have truely done a good job, ask in advance would he consider giving you your deposit after inspecting the unit instead of making you wait. If he says no, deal with it, don't get stupid. If after the time has passed for getting your deposit back, if it still has not been sent, in my state you had to send a list of items that were charged back to the tenant and a check for the difference, if there was one within that 30 days. I usually did mine right at the 2 week mark, as thats when any painting, cleaning and work would have likely to been completed. If it was simple wear and tear, fine, they got their deposit back. But if they claimed clean carpet that was really piss soaked carpet, they got a bill for the replacement carpet and padding, if they claimed clean fridge and it was filled with maggots, I took pictures and had a cleaning crew come in and de-maggot the fridge and I would send a copy of that bill (I wasn't obligated to produce the bill, but did it as a courtesy and to keep the animosity down. I have to say, most tenants left their units clean and in order, some even better than that. I NEVER EVER kept any of their deposits, as I think they were most certainly entitled to them. If I had a good tenant, who paid on time and was reasonable, if something was little not right, I would just eat it, within reason, and return their deposit. But idiots, filth mongers and morons who thought I should pay them for leaving stinking, rotting bags of garbage, feces dried on toilets, and maggot infested fridges, did not endear themselves to me. Hope this helps you! Good luck!

Original Question

Any advice on how to redo a thirteen-year-old's room?

Q. My thirteen-year-old wants to redo her room. She wants bright colors like pink, orange, red, and yellow, for a summery feel. Any place I could get some ideas on how to organize it? And what is the best place to get furnature?

A. We have three daughters that are basically the same age. At about 13, we re-issued the bedrooms, gave the kids a budget, got the kids catalogs, let them shop the Internet, took them to paint stores, on and on, and let them do their own rooms. We got some weird paint schemes: Barbie doll pink windowsills, navy blue walls, and teal green ceilings for one! One became turquoise with bright pink and white. Anyway. For what it is worth, we let them do it together and have fun with it. They did.

I think JCPenney has a decorator that can come to your home, if you want to put out that kind of investment.

Good luck with your decorating planning.

Original Question

What are some memories you have of the house you grew up in?

Q. I was just talking to some family members today about how sad it is that houses get old and worn down when they used to be full of life. So I'm curious: what is your favorite memory of the house you grew up in? :)

A. We lived at a house in the sticks, which we shared three acres of land with a farmer. I can remember that he raised sheep that would graze and us as kids couldn't go near the fences because they were electrical. One day a sheep somehow got out of the fence and started roaming around in our driveway.

Another thing I remember is that in the winter, we would go sled riding down the huge hills. My dad would hitch the utility cart on the back of his riding mower and take me and my sisters on rides. When I got older...like around fourteen, I got creative. I took a plastic tarp, laid it down one of the hills, and had the garden hose to get the tarp wet, and me and my sisters would have a Slip and Slide. I can also remember that one evening, the farmer was burning excess brush and caught an entire field on fire!! I guess a breeze came up and caught an ember or something, and the next thing I knew, I smelled smoke. I was panicking, my sisters were freaking out, and my parents were frantically telling us to get ready to go. The fire almost reached our house and I remember we had to leave, but the fire department caught it in time.

That was just the outside of the house..the awesome space to run around and play. The EARLIEST childhood memory was when my dad was trying to turn part of the basement into a big playroom for us kids. I can remember my dad set up one of the swing horses from one of the beams. I refused to go to that basement to play on the horse because I hated how dark it was. I mean there was light, but I just remember hating going to play unless my older sister or mom was with me. The house we lived in was a double wide modular home. My mom has pictures of the land tore up and the house getting set up and put together. It was a three bedroom, 1.5 bathroom house, with a fairly big kitchen and living room. My dad remodeled every room to update everything. I can remember my dad tearing up the FUGLY kitchen floor. It was that 1970s linoleum fllor with the puke green, yellow, and white. He replaced it with hardwood. I can remember the bathroom that connected to the master bedroom and it was even more hideous...it had this day glow orange flower wallpaper...that was remodeled too. The big bathroom had this puke green flower wallpaper. Dad had an entirely new bathtub put in there, and the walls were painted like an off white with forest green trim. My bedroom had these light peach colored walls. The other bedroom was just painted white. Finally my parents remodeled their bedroom (which was the most hideous looking room in the house).

When I was 17, we moved out of that house and into a busy neighborhood. I hated it because there was no room to run around and play. I moved back to my hometown last year, and I decided to take a drive out to where we used to live. When the owners saw me, they were looking at me strange obviously. But I told them that I grew up in their house, and I just wanted to see what has been done to it over the years. They had a pool put in, they built another garage onto it, the siding was replaced, and a whole bunch of other things. They even showed me the inside...it was unrecognizable. It was so emotional to see how much the inside was changed like all of these memories were coming back to me, and I was telling the owners about them. They were very nice, and I told them I wished my parents wouldn't have moved out of it. It's not because I wanted them to leave of course, but there are just so many memories connected to that place. It was so peaceful living there, and there was so much space for me and my sisters to play around in. Home really is where you hang your hat...but that's where the memories stay.

Original Question

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Read more...

Any ideas for a vintage chic bedroom?

Q. I'm 14 and moving house soon. When I decorate my room, I want it really different and chic. I like 'vintage' style things, such as urban outfitter themed decor. I don't want a huge amount of pink. I like the idea of blues. I want one wall to be bright and the others plain. I like things clean cut and simple. Does anyone have any interesting colour themes that i could use or just any tips overall?

A. WOW.. i'm impressed! U'r 14 & u know what u what. Not too many do. So when u'r talking the "urban outfitter" I'm not quite sure where u'r heading. R u heading for the 50-60's look or what? As far as blues... for the 50-60 look u can go w/ blu/gr or gr/bl almost like turquoise. IF u WANT the pink, then put PINK tones as in pillows/frames/lamps things like that. I did my friend's 2 grls rooms but they wanted something brighter but I used mocha br along w/ pink & pinky/blu... it really came out kewl. The trends back then were 50's more pink/turquoise/black/white/red then moved into the turquoise/orange/browns/lime greens. I would love to help u if u want to e me. (kadullade@yahoo.com) I love decorating esp for kids/teens.

Original Question

What should I do to my bedroom walls?

Q. I can't decide on what I should do to my bedroom walls. What I had in mind was either white walls with neon splatter paint, have each wall be a different color (red, orange, yellow, hot pink), something abstract, or do something with zebra print. I like those, but I also want some more ideas. For a bit of my personality, I'm kind of a punk rock kid. Help please! Haha.

A. I did zebra print and blah i hate it now. I thought about doing splatter! Do it. The zebra shit is so unoriginal and splatter is so cool and fun. :)

Original Question

How can I get a surfer style bedroom?

Q. I love brands like Fat Face, Billabong, Roxy etc. and the whole surfer look but I was wondering how to get that style in my bedroom? I've only got a tiny bedroom but I'm up for any suggestions - please add photos if you can.

A. I would definitely stay away from creating a too cheesy surfer room. For example, I was looking up some pictures for you and there were cheap grass skirts as the bedskirt for the bed and little tiny surfer lamps and stuffed monkeys and dolphins and stuff....cheesy. To make a gooood surfer room, I'd choose a bright color that you like for the walls or maybe two as in the picture provided below. The room below has lime green and orange but if you like other bright colors better, that'd be okay too. When you look for room examples like this, I always just use the picture as a shell and interchange my color preferences, etc. So paint the walls a bright color, I actually like the blue in the second picture provided for the walls. You'll want to keep white in your room too..the molding around the room, in the bedspread, maybe the bed frame, the dresser and anything you can really. Because you have a really bright wall, you need that white to offset it and make it more beachy and light. So chose your bedspread. There are plenty of bedspreads that are actually billabong and roxy beach spreads if you want that. You can also chose a hawaiian print theme, but I feel like that's borderline cheesy as well. If I were you, I would choose a full white bedspread in a light fabric. Choosing a completely white bedspread will also make the room and your bed feel and look bigger. It's really your preference though, as I know some people love the hawaiian print. I love the wicker in the first room provided. And I love how they painted it, but I also just love wicker plain. So if you're tight on cash or you just like the wicker not painted, just keep it like it is. Wicker just reminds me of outdoor furniture you'd have at a beach house though. I'm not sure what color your carpet is or if you have wood floors. It'd be ideal if you had wood flooring and then I'd add a straw beach mat as the rug at the foot of the bed or at the side of the bed, depending on the positioning of the bed. I'd get white lamps like the one in the first bedroom provided, the two inbetween the two beds on the nightstand. Again, I'm not sure how you are on money, but if you can afford it, I'd definitely splurge on a full sized surfboard to put somewhere in your room, behind a wicker chair or in a corner by itself. I'll provide a link to a cheaper board (in the world of surfboards it's considered very cheap.) I'd also get some beach themed decor. I like the word beach spelled out above the bed in the second picture. I also love the wood nightstand in the second bedroom, you can see the top slats of it, but I would paint it white. I was recently at Marshalls and they had extremely nice and sophisticated beach themed decor that could fill up probably two to three rooms. If you have a Marshalls by you, you should take a look there. Also, TJ Maxx. If not though, I'm sure you can find really cute beach stuff online. Even if you went to a craft store and bought a hurricane candle holder, a pillar candle, and sand and/or shells, that would be awesome to put on your nightstand. You could also buy a cheap starfish and shells online too to put around your room. The options are endless!! :) Here are all the links:

1st bedroom (bright walls, wicker chair, white dresser, white lamps)... http://www.thedesignfile.net/thedesignfile/2010/05/a-colorful-kids-room-you-can-emulate.html

2nd bedroom (the color blue I love for a beach room, beach letters over bed, slat nightstand)... http://www.bedroominteriordecorating.com/teenage-girl-bedroom-ideas-teenage-bedroom-designs/

Beach Mat for Rug... http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Natural-Beautiful-Yoga-Mat/dp/B000UK6VQ2

Landshark Board suggestion if you can't find something else... http://compare.ebay.com/like/350433809099?ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&rvr_id=213510046901&crlp=1_263602_304662&UA=M*F%3F&GUID=5ec409fa12e0a47a2fa73f07fb4737ad&itemid=350433809099&ff4=263602_304662

Beach candles (LOVE the different colors!!)... http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img4.realsimple.com/images/0903/candles_300.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/new-uses-for-old-things/summertime-new-uses-00000000016188/page37.html&usg=__DFVeZEITqeVDmvMb6BvECLlisug=&h=357&w=300&sz=20&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=t8VJsv_DLEYs8M:&tbnh=156&tbnw=121&ei=eSRoTcTlJ4yCtge1-IXoAw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhurricane%2Bcandle%2Bwith%2Bsand%2Band%2Bshells%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D622%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C42&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=1035&vpy=204&dur=726&hovh=245&hovw=206&tx=165&ty=142&oei=eSRoTcTlJ4yCtge1-IXoAw&page=1&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:0&biw=1280&bih=622


HOPE THIS HELPS!!! :)

Original Question

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Read more...

What color should i choose for my bedroom?

Q. It is a 10.82 m2 bedroom,
all my things are wooden and the room has two windows but is not very well lighted.
I love purple and pink but not pale ones...Does it become too dark if i paint it dark purple or pink?
i also like using combinations of different colors do you have any suggestion?

A. Hello, as co-owner of http://www.decorating-kids-rooms.net I get a lot of questions re: colors to paint a room - it has been my experience that yes, you should go with colors you like but to be selective with how dark you go. I would recommend going lighter instead of darker on your walls especially if your bedroom is small and not very well lit.

That said, you don't have to go really pale either. What about one dark pink or dark purple wall and then paint the rest of your walls in a lighter shade of either pink or purple? You can then bring in more dark shades of pink and purple through the use of carefully selected fabrics and accessories like a comforter, window treatments, throw cushions, lampshades, area rugs etc.

Hot pink and vibrant violet also go nice with bold orange and bright yellow. What about a room with a retro 'flower power' motif?

For more tips on using color in your room please visit
http://www.decorating-kids-rooms.net/painting-kid-rooms-and-colors-to-paint-a-room.html

Original Question

Want to paint a wall using different colours. How do I stop the paint from running?

Q. Saw a TV decorating programme where a wall was divided into squares with masking tape then the squares were painted different colours. When I tried it the paint seeped into the tape and went onto the adjoining colour. Any bright ideas please?
Please can you tell me what frog tape is I live in Sweden and need to be specific when I try to find it?

Thanks for all your helpful tips so far.
Please can you tell me what frog tape is I live in Sweden and need to be specific when I try to find it?

Thanks for all your helpful tips so far.

A. :: Paint with a Brush, & Take Your Time. Don't overload the brush with paint. ... You 'can' use masking tape if you really do need sharp,straight lines, but it is not essential. ... All you do is (without using the tape), just paint ONE Colour at a time, & wait until the edges are just "touch-dry" Before you begin the next colour. .. By doing this,& by leaving the preceding colour "Wet", but NOT "Runny-wet",, you can Overlap each colour without them actually "running" together, but they will be able to be Blended together. This will give you different shades at the edges, but of the same colours you are using. ... From my own experiences, the overall effect is quite a good one! (Unless you are going for that sharply defined look.) But that is how Artist's apply their paints on a canvass! (well, one of the ways.) ................ Just One Very Very Important Thing. ::: "NEVER, NEVER,, Be tempted to rush the job by using cans of "Spray Paint"!! .................... When I was very young, my bedroom wall had been painted "beige", & I hated it. Then I saw a design in a "MAD" Comic. It was a wall of an ordinary colour, & halfway up the wall it had 3 Different colours,painted in bands that went right around the room, & each band was 1 foot in height! The colours used in the Mad Magazine, were the same one's that I used. They were all "Gloss" colours, From Top down they were Emerald Green, Deep Purple, & Orange. (Remember that the rest of the wall was painted in "Beige" & was a Matt finish. ......... Well, I was just a kid, & too impatient to use tape on the walls or to brush it on & wait for each to dry. ... Sooooo, I got my pocket money I had saved up for this, & I bought those 3 colours of paint in Spray Cans, closed the door & windows,, & you can imagine the rest & the mess!!! ........ I had one colour run into another, & all 3 colours mixed by the time they got to the floor! .......... (However,,,, I have to say that it turned out to look really good.)

Original Question

How can I change my walls without painting?

Q. When I was a little kid, I wanted to paint my walls electric/ sky blue because that's what my friends were doing to their bedrooms. I've changed and want to personalize my walls without painting them because of a tight budget (and the fact that it was 3 years ago when we last painted them) so how can I do that?
My room has green details like my lamp, chair, and bedspread, but how can i incorporate colors like pink or orange? Thanks!

A. Without painting,the net thing that comes other what they told u is to scrap it off or sand it off lightly.Why don't u just leave it the way it is if u're on a tight budget or ur parents are getting stingier to give jobs to a poor painter.

Original Question

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Read more...

How can I get a surfer style bedroom?

Q. I love brands like Fat Face, Billabong, Roxy etc. and the whole surfer look but I was wondering how to get that style in my bedroom? I've only got a tiny bedroom but I'm up for any suggestions - please add photos if you can.

A. I would definitely stay away from creating a too cheesy surfer room. For example, I was looking up some pictures for you and there were cheap grass skirts as the bedskirt for the bed and little tiny surfer lamps and stuffed monkeys and dolphins and stuff....cheesy. To make a gooood surfer room, I'd choose a bright color that you like for the walls or maybe two as in the picture provided below. The room below has lime green and orange but if you like other bright colors better, that'd be okay too. When you look for room examples like this, I always just use the picture as a shell and interchange my color preferences, etc. So paint the walls a bright color, I actually like the blue in the second picture provided for the walls. You'll want to keep white in your room too..the molding around the room, in the bedspread, maybe the bed frame, the dresser and anything you can really. Because you have a really bright wall, you need that white to offset it and make it more beachy and light. So chose your bedspread. There are plenty of bedspreads that are actually billabong and roxy beach spreads if you want that. You can also chose a hawaiian print theme, but I feel like that's borderline cheesy as well. If I were you, I would choose a full white bedspread in a light fabric. Choosing a completely white bedspread will also make the room and your bed feel and look bigger. It's really your preference though, as I know some people love the hawaiian print. I love the wicker in the first room provided. And I love how they painted it, but I also just love wicker plain. So if you're tight on cash or you just like the wicker not painted, just keep it like it is. Wicker just reminds me of outdoor furniture you'd have at a beach house though. I'm not sure what color your carpet is or if you have wood floors. It'd be ideal if you had wood flooring and then I'd add a straw beach mat as the rug at the foot of the bed or at the side of the bed, depending on the positioning of the bed. I'd get white lamps like the one in the first bedroom provided, the two inbetween the two beds on the nightstand. Again, I'm not sure how you are on money, but if you can afford it, I'd definitely splurge on a full sized surfboard to put somewhere in your room, behind a wicker chair or in a corner by itself. I'll provide a link to a cheaper board (in the world of surfboards it's considered very cheap.) I'd also get some beach themed decor. I like the word beach spelled out above the bed in the second picture. I also love the wood nightstand in the second bedroom, you can see the top slats of it, but I would paint it white. I was recently at Marshalls and they had extremely nice and sophisticated beach themed decor that could fill up probably two to three rooms. If you have a Marshalls by you, you should take a look there. Also, TJ Maxx. If not though, I'm sure you can find really cute beach stuff online. Even if you went to a craft store and bought a hurricane candle holder, a pillar candle, and sand and/or shells, that would be awesome to put on your nightstand. You could also buy a cheap starfish and shells online too to put around your room. The options are endless!! :) Here are all the links:

1st bedroom (bright walls, wicker chair, white dresser, white lamps)... http://www.thedesignfile.net/thedesignfile/2010/05/a-colorful-kids-room-you-can-emulate.html

2nd bedroom (the color blue I love for a beach room, beach letters over bed, slat nightstand)... http://www.bedroominteriordecorating.com/teenage-girl-bedroom-ideas-teenage-bedroom-designs/

Beach Mat for Rug... http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Natural-Beautiful-Yoga-Mat/dp/B000UK6VQ2

Landshark Board suggestion if you can't find something else... http://compare.ebay.com/like/350433809099?ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&rvr_id=213510046901&crlp=1_263602_304662&UA=M*F%3F&GUID=5ec409fa12e0a47a2fa73f07fb4737ad&itemid=350433809099&ff4=263602_304662

Beach candles (LOVE the different colors!!)... http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img4.realsimple.com/images/0903/candles_300.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/new-uses-for-old-things/summertime-new-uses-00000000016188/page37.html&usg=__DFVeZEITqeVDmvMb6BvECLlisug=&h=357&w=300&sz=20&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=t8VJsv_DLEYs8M:&tbnh=156&tbnw=121&ei=eSRoTcTlJ4yCtge1-IXoAw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhurricane%2Bcandle%2Bwith%2Bsand%2Band%2Bshells%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D622%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C42&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=1035&vpy=204&dur=726&hovh=245&hovw=206&tx=165&ty=142&oei=eSRoTcTlJ4yCtge1-IXoAw&page=1&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:0&biw=1280&bih=622


HOPE THIS HELPS!!! :)

Original Question

Any tips on how to best clean my apartment and get most of my deposit back?

Q. I will be moving out of my apartment at the end of this month and I was wondering if anyone had any tips on cleaning up. I've lived here for 14 months, with two dogs who went through potty training and using my carpet. I also had a brother spill red kool-aid and not tell me until now (He moved my couch over it months ago)

Other than the main carpet issue everything else is normal wear and tear, scuffed up dirty looking walls, dirty fridge and countertops, etc.


Any help would be appreciated!!

A. What you consider "normal wear and tear" may not be considered NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR by your landlord or the state you live in. Every state is different. By the sounds of it, its kind of groady. I would start by cleaning thoroughly, like your Grandma was going to come and live there after you! Clean out the cupboards, the counter tops, stove, oven, sinks and fridge thoroughly. If the carpet is stinky and stained that is NOT normal, have it cleaned, and if its a small area, I would consider replacing it with something similar, much less expensive than the carpet and padding and installation your landlord will RIGHTFULLY be able to charge you for. While carpet doesn't last forever, 14 months is short of what I used at a standard in my rental which was 5 years. No court ever refuse me on that one! And one judge thought that was generous after I pointed out that the manufacture had a 20 year warranty (couldn't use it for commercial purposes) on the carpet that I was precluded from using, as I was paid rent and therefore a commercial enterprise. Floors need to be swept, mopped, and vacuumed, bathrooms cleaned of your skin, soap scum and deposits. Bedrooms should be broom clean and all walls should be patched where pictures were hung, some simple white tooth paste (not the gels!) and if they are showing filth, I would consider wiping them down with a simple cleaning solution of a degreaser and baking soda. Remove all belongings, garbage and so on. Taking pictures of it cleaned, inside of fridge, oven and cupboards with all the doors open and each room is worth doing as a safety measure. Make arrangements to meet with the landlord to return the keys, preferably at the apartment, where both of you can do a walk through and note any discrepancies and put them on a piece of paper that both can sign stating this was cleaned or this wasn't. Talking to your landlord like he is going to KEEP your deposit and threatening to sue BEFORE you are entitled to your deposit back (in most states a landlord has 30 days to return it to you) is just asking to have a problem. I have had tenants that made arrangements with me prior to leaving, having carpets cleaned, having me meet them at the property and asking IN ADVANCE for a refund of their deposit, as they were leaving the state and needed ir for the next place or utility deposits and I accommodated them, with notice. But anyone who approached me like one poster suggested, would have gotten my lawyers direct line and told to contact him concerning their deposit, and I would not have mailed it one day before my 30 days were up! Leaving a mess and filth behind and expecting to get your deposit back is greedy and foolish. I have had renters who, like your brother, spilled something, had the carpet cleaned, but a no go on the kool aid and we made arrangements to have the carpet replaced at a reasonable cost (I know all the places to go and I know what I had in there and I know I don't want some piece of crap substituted for my good carpet, but I am reasonable too. One tenant had a carpet guy come in, his kid had spilled orange soda and covered it with a pizza box for 3 days and the carpet guy charged him $60. Turns out, it was the same guy I had used in the past and when I contacted him about the stain he agreed to refund the $60 to the guy and I got another guy I knew who had just finished a big job and had some very nice carpet that would cover this little area come in and do it for $100, so in essence, it was only an additional $40 and we solved the problem. But had he jerked me around, and been stupid and took me for a fool, I wouldn't have called the carpet guy and I wouldn't have pressed my friend to give me carpet worth 6x the price the price of the cost, just for the carpet. So it pays to be honest and be thorough. Most landlords are honest and are not interested in keeping deposits from good tenants, but yes, I have run into a few who look to take advantage. Do your best to clean it nicely and be proactive, invite him over to look on your last day and ask nicely when you can expect your deposit back, and if you think you have truely done a good job, ask in advance would he consider giving you your deposit after inspecting the unit instead of making you wait. If he says no, deal with it, don't get stupid. If after the time has passed for getting your deposit back, if it still has not been sent, in my state you had to send a list of items that were charged back to the tenant and a check for the difference, if there was one within that 30 days. I usually did mine right at the 2 week mark, as thats when any painting, cleaning and work would have likely to been completed. If it was simple wear and tear, fine, they got their deposit back. But if they claimed clean carpet that was really piss soaked carpet, they got a bill for the replacement carpet and padding, if they claimed clean fridge and it was filled with maggots, I took pictures and had a cleaning crew come in and de-maggot the fridge and I would send a copy of that bill (I wasn't obligated to produce the bill, but did it as a courtesy and to keep the animosity down. I have to say, most tenants left their units clean and in order, some even better than that. I NEVER EVER kept any of their deposits, as I think they were most certainly entitled to them. If I had a good tenant, who paid on time and was reasonable, if something was little not right, I would just eat it, within reason, and return their deposit. But idiots, filth mongers and morons who thought I should pay them for leaving stinking, rotting bags of garbage, feces dried on toilets, and maggot infested fridges, did not endear themselves to me. Hope this helps you! Good luck!

Original Question

What was the biggest mess your child has ever made?

Q. Yes, I have six kids. They are all my angel babies but they do grow horns and lose their wings at times.

I just walked into my girls room and five of them are coloring their little "cave drawings" all over the wall in neon sharpie. That was only the first part.So I went to put my son in the bath after he pooed in his pants, and the bathtub is full of toilet paper and little fruit cups. In the toilet, I see a whole KFC chicken leg, and in the sink a bunch of mashed potato wedges.What next? I decided that it was time for the corner, so I went into the living room and what do I see? Six little lunatics feeding the fish cheerios and beating up on daddy. Then I notice that the dog hs a peanut butter sandwich smeared on his back.So, could It get any worse? My daughter runs to me crying and saying that her brother stuck a "bizztard" on her. She turns around and I see my sons baby lizard clamped its mouth shut on her back.Done yet?
After all was fairly calm, my OTHER daughter gets off the couch, tells me she needs to go to the potty, and then spews a mixture of blue kool aid, bananas, and red jello onto my lap. Then she starts laughing turns around, and pukes out more onto my white carpet. Heard enough? I have!

I am sure you kids do these things too, please tell me some stories, thanks!

A. My 4yr-old is EXREMELY smart but is very well-behaved. He does however help his brother concoct some bad ideas. My baby is almost two, he too is very smart, but very busy. Our dining room chairs have wheels and he likes to push them over to the cabinets and climb onto the counters, into the sink, and to my horror, onto the stove. I have rescued him twice now from a perch atop burners he lit. I wash able to get him before the things heated up but only barely. There is nothing he can't climb, nothing. We have all of our chemicals, all of my cooking ingredients and most of the food locked up with keyed door locks or metal chains and padlocks. He turns the plastic locks until they snap or break. His father made the mistake of leaving a book of matches in our bedroom, which is locked with a keyed lock. My 4-yr-old, helped my nearly 2-yr-old to unlock it with stolen keys and let him in. There is now a burn-hole two feet in diameter on our mattress from the fire. Luckily, the smoke detectors saved my son's life. It never fails, I have to use the restroom (which is always locked too) and they manage to get into something. In the last year, we have had to wash our cat because they died her orange with less than a half an ounce of orange model paint, had to install serious hardware on nearly every door in our house, replace several pieces of furniture that were taken apart with daddy's tools, and we have had to flush 6 fish, two died of being fed cat food, one died from having his tank cleaned with bleach, while he was in it, two more died because they were given a bubble bath in the bathtub, and the last was murdered by a very panicked cat who was tossed rather unceremoniously into the fishtank. I feel your pain, I have a third baby due in July and frankly, I'm scared. Labor is easy, I don't know if I can handle anymore crises.

Original Question

Any advice on how to redo a thirteen-year-old's room?

Q. My thirteen-year-old wants to redo her room. She wants bright colors like pink, orange, red, and yellow, for a summery feel. Any place I could get some ideas on how to organize it? And what is the best place to get furnature?

A. We have three daughters that are basically the same age. At about 13, we re-issued the bedrooms, gave the kids a budget, got the kids catalogs, let them shop the Internet, took them to paint stores, on and on, and let them do their own rooms. We got some weird paint schemes: Barbie doll pink windowsills, navy blue walls, and teal green ceilings for one! One became turquoise with bright pink and white. Anyway. For what it is worth, we let them do it together and have fun with it. They did.

I think JCPenney has a decorator that can come to your home, if you want to put out that kind of investment.

Good luck with your decorating planning.

Original Question

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Read more...

How can I get a surfer style bedroom?

Q. I love brands like Fat Face, Billabong, Roxy etc. and the whole surfer look but I was wondering how to get that style in my bedroom? I've only got a tiny bedroom but I'm up for any suggestions - please add photos if you can.

A. I would definitely stay away from creating a too cheesy surfer room. For example, I was looking up some pictures for you and there were cheap grass skirts as the bedskirt for the bed and little tiny surfer lamps and stuffed monkeys and dolphins and stuff....cheesy. To make a gooood surfer room, I'd choose a bright color that you like for the walls or maybe two as in the picture provided below. The room below has lime green and orange but if you like other bright colors better, that'd be okay too. When you look for room examples like this, I always just use the picture as a shell and interchange my color preferences, etc. So paint the walls a bright color, I actually like the blue in the second picture provided for the walls. You'll want to keep white in your room too..the molding around the room, in the bedspread, maybe the bed frame, the dresser and anything you can really. Because you have a really bright wall, you need that white to offset it and make it more beachy and light. So chose your bedspread. There are plenty of bedspreads that are actually billabong and roxy beach spreads if you want that. You can also chose a hawaiian print theme, but I feel like that's borderline cheesy as well. If I were you, I would choose a full white bedspread in a light fabric. Choosing a completely white bedspread will also make the room and your bed feel and look bigger. It's really your preference though, as I know some people love the hawaiian print. I love the wicker in the first room provided. And I love how they painted it, but I also just love wicker plain. So if you're tight on cash or you just like the wicker not painted, just keep it like it is. Wicker just reminds me of outdoor furniture you'd have at a beach house though. I'm not sure what color your carpet is or if you have wood floors. It'd be ideal if you had wood flooring and then I'd add a straw beach mat as the rug at the foot of the bed or at the side of the bed, depending on the positioning of the bed. I'd get white lamps like the one in the first bedroom provided, the two inbetween the two beds on the nightstand. Again, I'm not sure how you are on money, but if you can afford it, I'd definitely splurge on a full sized surfboard to put somewhere in your room, behind a wicker chair or in a corner by itself. I'll provide a link to a cheaper board (in the world of surfboards it's considered very cheap.) I'd also get some beach themed decor. I like the word beach spelled out above the bed in the second picture. I also love the wood nightstand in the second bedroom, you can see the top slats of it, but I would paint it white. I was recently at Marshalls and they had extremely nice and sophisticated beach themed decor that could fill up probably two to three rooms. If you have a Marshalls by you, you should take a look there. Also, TJ Maxx. If not though, I'm sure you can find really cute beach stuff online. Even if you went to a craft store and bought a hurricane candle holder, a pillar candle, and sand and/or shells, that would be awesome to put on your nightstand. You could also buy a cheap starfish and shells online too to put around your room. The options are endless!! :) Here are all the links:

1st bedroom (bright walls, wicker chair, white dresser, white lamps)... http://www.thedesignfile.net/thedesignfile/2010/05/a-colorful-kids-room-you-can-emulate.html

2nd bedroom (the color blue I love for a beach room, beach letters over bed, slat nightstand)... http://www.bedroominteriordecorating.com/teenage-girl-bedroom-ideas-teenage-bedroom-designs/

Beach Mat for Rug... http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Natural-Beautiful-Yoga-Mat/dp/B000UK6VQ2

Landshark Board suggestion if you can't find something else... http://compare.ebay.com/like/350433809099?ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&rvr_id=213510046901&crlp=1_263602_304662&UA=M*F%3F&GUID=5ec409fa12e0a47a2fa73f07fb4737ad&itemid=350433809099&ff4=263602_304662

Beach candles (LOVE the different colors!!)... http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img4.realsimple.com/images/0903/candles_300.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/new-uses-for-old-things/summertime-new-uses-00000000016188/page37.html&usg=__DFVeZEITqeVDmvMb6BvECLlisug=&h=357&w=300&sz=20&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=t8VJsv_DLEYs8M:&tbnh=156&tbnw=121&ei=eSRoTcTlJ4yCtge1-IXoAw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhurricane%2Bcandle%2Bwith%2Bsand%2Band%2Bshells%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D622%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C42&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=1035&vpy=204&dur=726&hovh=245&hovw=206&tx=165&ty=142&oei=eSRoTcTlJ4yCtge1-IXoAw&page=1&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:0&biw=1280&bih=622


HOPE THIS HELPS!!! :)

Original Question

Any tips on how to best clean my apartment and get most of my deposit back?

Q. I will be moving out of my apartment at the end of this month and I was wondering if anyone had any tips on cleaning up. I've lived here for 14 months, with two dogs who went through potty training and using my carpet. I also had a brother spill red kool-aid and not tell me until now (He moved my couch over it months ago)

Other than the main carpet issue everything else is normal wear and tear, scuffed up dirty looking walls, dirty fridge and countertops, etc.


Any help would be appreciated!!

A. What you consider "normal wear and tear" may not be considered NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR by your landlord or the state you live in. Every state is different. By the sounds of it, its kind of groady. I would start by cleaning thoroughly, like your Grandma was going to come and live there after you! Clean out the cupboards, the counter tops, stove, oven, sinks and fridge thoroughly. If the carpet is stinky and stained that is NOT normal, have it cleaned, and if its a small area, I would consider replacing it with something similar, much less expensive than the carpet and padding and installation your landlord will RIGHTFULLY be able to charge you for. While carpet doesn't last forever, 14 months is short of what I used at a standard in my rental which was 5 years. No court ever refuse me on that one! And one judge thought that was generous after I pointed out that the manufacture had a 20 year warranty (couldn't use it for commercial purposes) on the carpet that I was precluded from using, as I was paid rent and therefore a commercial enterprise. Floors need to be swept, mopped, and vacuumed, bathrooms cleaned of your skin, soap scum and deposits. Bedrooms should be broom clean and all walls should be patched where pictures were hung, some simple white tooth paste (not the gels!) and if they are showing filth, I would consider wiping them down with a simple cleaning solution of a degreaser and baking soda. Remove all belongings, garbage and so on. Taking pictures of it cleaned, inside of fridge, oven and cupboards with all the doors open and each room is worth doing as a safety measure. Make arrangements to meet with the landlord to return the keys, preferably at the apartment, where both of you can do a walk through and note any discrepancies and put them on a piece of paper that both can sign stating this was cleaned or this wasn't. Talking to your landlord like he is going to KEEP your deposit and threatening to sue BEFORE you are entitled to your deposit back (in most states a landlord has 30 days to return it to you) is just asking to have a problem. I have had tenants that made arrangements with me prior to leaving, having carpets cleaned, having me meet them at the property and asking IN ADVANCE for a refund of their deposit, as they were leaving the state and needed ir for the next place or utility deposits and I accommodated them, with notice. But anyone who approached me like one poster suggested, would have gotten my lawyers direct line and told to contact him concerning their deposit, and I would not have mailed it one day before my 30 days were up! Leaving a mess and filth behind and expecting to get your deposit back is greedy and foolish. I have had renters who, like your brother, spilled something, had the carpet cleaned, but a no go on the kool aid and we made arrangements to have the carpet replaced at a reasonable cost (I know all the places to go and I know what I had in there and I know I don't want some piece of crap substituted for my good carpet, but I am reasonable too. One tenant had a carpet guy come in, his kid had spilled orange soda and covered it with a pizza box for 3 days and the carpet guy charged him $60. Turns out, it was the same guy I had used in the past and when I contacted him about the stain he agreed to refund the $60 to the guy and I got another guy I knew who had just finished a big job and had some very nice carpet that would cover this little area come in and do it for $100, so in essence, it was only an additional $40 and we solved the problem. But had he jerked me around, and been stupid and took me for a fool, I wouldn't have called the carpet guy and I wouldn't have pressed my friend to give me carpet worth 6x the price the price of the cost, just for the carpet. So it pays to be honest and be thorough. Most landlords are honest and are not interested in keeping deposits from good tenants, but yes, I have run into a few who look to take advantage. Do your best to clean it nicely and be proactive, invite him over to look on your last day and ask nicely when you can expect your deposit back, and if you think you have truely done a good job, ask in advance would he consider giving you your deposit after inspecting the unit instead of making you wait. If he says no, deal with it, don't get stupid. If after the time has passed for getting your deposit back, if it still has not been sent, in my state you had to send a list of items that were charged back to the tenant and a check for the difference, if there was one within that 30 days. I usually did mine right at the 2 week mark, as thats when any painting, cleaning and work would have likely to been completed. If it was simple wear and tear, fine, they got their deposit back. But if they claimed clean carpet that was really piss soaked carpet, they got a bill for the replacement carpet and padding, if they claimed clean fridge and it was filled with maggots, I took pictures and had a cleaning crew come in and de-maggot the fridge and I would send a copy of that bill (I wasn't obligated to produce the bill, but did it as a courtesy and to keep the animosity down. I have to say, most tenants left their units clean and in order, some even better than that. I NEVER EVER kept any of their deposits, as I think they were most certainly entitled to them. If I had a good tenant, who paid on time and was reasonable, if something was little not right, I would just eat it, within reason, and return their deposit. But idiots, filth mongers and morons who thought I should pay them for leaving stinking, rotting bags of garbage, feces dried on toilets, and maggot infested fridges, did not endear themselves to me. Hope this helps you! Good luck!

Original Question

Could be give your professional idea please?

Q. I have planned to paint my bed room's ceiling with white, wall with mint leaf green, is it okay? Similarly I have planned to paint my kid's room with sun rise or orange color, kitchen with orange color, living room with sandal wood/beacon or sugarcane color.
Please advise me?

A. happy with all of your choices except the orange in your childs room TBH
orange is a very strong over powering colour and whilst children are stimulated by a bright environment i think you will struggle to find accessories that compliment
and i also think this colour scene would get very tiresome very quickly
apart from that your choices are good,
green is a restful colour for a bedroom and wont look cold,
perhaps cut down on the amount of orange in the kitchen too, for the same reasons as the bedroom though as an accent colour it can give a kitchen quite a morroccan feel to it

Original Question

Any advice on how to redo a thirteen-year-old's room?

Q. My thirteen-year-old wants to redo her room. She wants bright colors like pink, orange, red, and yellow, for a summery feel. Any place I could get some ideas on how to organize it? And what is the best place to get furnature?

A. We have three daughters that are basically the same age. At about 13, we re-issued the bedrooms, gave the kids a budget, got the kids catalogs, let them shop the Internet, took them to paint stores, on and on, and let them do their own rooms. We got some weird paint schemes: Barbie doll pink windowsills, navy blue walls, and teal green ceilings for one! One became turquoise with bright pink and white. Anyway. For what it is worth, we let them do it together and have fun with it. They did.

I think JCPenney has a decorator that can come to your home, if you want to put out that kind of investment.

Good luck with your decorating planning.

Original Question

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Read more...

What should I do to my bedroom walls?

Q. I can't decide on what I should do to my bedroom walls. What I had in mind was either white walls with neon splatter paint, have each wall be a different color (red, orange, yellow, hot pink), something abstract, or do something with zebra print. I like those, but I also want some more ideas. For a bit of my personality, I'm kind of a punk rock kid. Help please! Haha.

A. I did zebra print and blah i hate it now. I thought about doing splatter! Do it. The zebra shit is so unoriginal and splatter is so cool and fun. :)

Original Question

How can I get a surfer style bedroom?

Q. I love brands like Fat Face, Billabong, Roxy etc. and the whole surfer look but I was wondering how to get that style in my bedroom? I've only got a tiny bedroom but I'm up for any suggestions - please add photos if you can.

A. I would definitely stay away from creating a too cheesy surfer room. For example, I was looking up some pictures for you and there were cheap grass skirts as the bedskirt for the bed and little tiny surfer lamps and stuffed monkeys and dolphins and stuff....cheesy. To make a gooood surfer room, I'd choose a bright color that you like for the walls or maybe two as in the picture provided below. The room below has lime green and orange but if you like other bright colors better, that'd be okay too. When you look for room examples like this, I always just use the picture as a shell and interchange my color preferences, etc. So paint the walls a bright color, I actually like the blue in the second picture provided for the walls. You'll want to keep white in your room too..the molding around the room, in the bedspread, maybe the bed frame, the dresser and anything you can really. Because you have a really bright wall, you need that white to offset it and make it more beachy and light. So chose your bedspread. There are plenty of bedspreads that are actually billabong and roxy beach spreads if you want that. You can also chose a hawaiian print theme, but I feel like that's borderline cheesy as well. If I were you, I would choose a full white bedspread in a light fabric. Choosing a completely white bedspread will also make the room and your bed feel and look bigger. It's really your preference though, as I know some people love the hawaiian print. I love the wicker in the first room provided. And I love how they painted it, but I also just love wicker plain. So if you're tight on cash or you just like the wicker not painted, just keep it like it is. Wicker just reminds me of outdoor furniture you'd have at a beach house though. I'm not sure what color your carpet is or if you have wood floors. It'd be ideal if you had wood flooring and then I'd add a straw beach mat as the rug at the foot of the bed or at the side of the bed, depending on the positioning of the bed. I'd get white lamps like the one in the first bedroom provided, the two inbetween the two beds on the nightstand. Again, I'm not sure how you are on money, but if you can afford it, I'd definitely splurge on a full sized surfboard to put somewhere in your room, behind a wicker chair or in a corner by itself. I'll provide a link to a cheaper board (in the world of surfboards it's considered very cheap.) I'd also get some beach themed decor. I like the word beach spelled out above the bed in the second picture. I also love the wood nightstand in the second bedroom, you can see the top slats of it, but I would paint it white. I was recently at Marshalls and they had extremely nice and sophisticated beach themed decor that could fill up probably two to three rooms. If you have a Marshalls by you, you should take a look there. Also, TJ Maxx. If not though, I'm sure you can find really cute beach stuff online. Even if you went to a craft store and bought a hurricane candle holder, a pillar candle, and sand and/or shells, that would be awesome to put on your nightstand. You could also buy a cheap starfish and shells online too to put around your room. The options are endless!! :) Here are all the links:

1st bedroom (bright walls, wicker chair, white dresser, white lamps)... http://www.thedesignfile.net/thedesignfile/2010/05/a-colorful-kids-room-you-can-emulate.html

2nd bedroom (the color blue I love for a beach room, beach letters over bed, slat nightstand)... http://www.bedroominteriordecorating.com/teenage-girl-bedroom-ideas-teenage-bedroom-designs/

Beach Mat for Rug... http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Natural-Beautiful-Yoga-Mat/dp/B000UK6VQ2

Landshark Board suggestion if you can't find something else... http://compare.ebay.com/like/350433809099?ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&rvr_id=213510046901&crlp=1_263602_304662&UA=M*F%3F&GUID=5ec409fa12e0a47a2fa73f07fb4737ad&itemid=350433809099&ff4=263602_304662

Beach candles (LOVE the different colors!!)... http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img4.realsimple.com/images/0903/candles_300.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/new-uses-for-old-things/summertime-new-uses-00000000016188/page37.html&usg=__DFVeZEITqeVDmvMb6BvECLlisug=&h=357&w=300&sz=20&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=t8VJsv_DLEYs8M:&tbnh=156&tbnw=121&ei=eSRoTcTlJ4yCtge1-IXoAw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhurricane%2Bcandle%2Bwith%2Bsand%2Band%2Bshells%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D622%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C42&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=1035&vpy=204&dur=726&hovh=245&hovw=206&tx=165&ty=142&oei=eSRoTcTlJ4yCtge1-IXoAw&page=1&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:0&biw=1280&bih=622


HOPE THIS HELPS!!! :)

Original Question

Any tips on how to best clean my apartment and get most of my deposit back?

Q. I will be moving out of my apartment at the end of this month and I was wondering if anyone had any tips on cleaning up. I've lived here for 14 months, with two dogs who went through potty training and using my carpet. I also had a brother spill red kool-aid and not tell me until now (He moved my couch over it months ago)

Other than the main carpet issue everything else is normal wear and tear, scuffed up dirty looking walls, dirty fridge and countertops, etc.


Any help would be appreciated!!

A. What you consider "normal wear and tear" may not be considered NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR by your landlord or the state you live in. Every state is different. By the sounds of it, its kind of groady. I would start by cleaning thoroughly, like your Grandma was going to come and live there after you! Clean out the cupboards, the counter tops, stove, oven, sinks and fridge thoroughly. If the carpet is stinky and stained that is NOT normal, have it cleaned, and if its a small area, I would consider replacing it with something similar, much less expensive than the carpet and padding and installation your landlord will RIGHTFULLY be able to charge you for. While carpet doesn't last forever, 14 months is short of what I used at a standard in my rental which was 5 years. No court ever refuse me on that one! And one judge thought that was generous after I pointed out that the manufacture had a 20 year warranty (couldn't use it for commercial purposes) on the carpet that I was precluded from using, as I was paid rent and therefore a commercial enterprise. Floors need to be swept, mopped, and vacuumed, bathrooms cleaned of your skin, soap scum and deposits. Bedrooms should be broom clean and all walls should be patched where pictures were hung, some simple white tooth paste (not the gels!) and if they are showing filth, I would consider wiping them down with a simple cleaning solution of a degreaser and baking soda. Remove all belongings, garbage and so on. Taking pictures of it cleaned, inside of fridge, oven and cupboards with all the doors open and each room is worth doing as a safety measure. Make arrangements to meet with the landlord to return the keys, preferably at the apartment, where both of you can do a walk through and note any discrepancies and put them on a piece of paper that both can sign stating this was cleaned or this wasn't. Talking to your landlord like he is going to KEEP your deposit and threatening to sue BEFORE you are entitled to your deposit back (in most states a landlord has 30 days to return it to you) is just asking to have a problem. I have had tenants that made arrangements with me prior to leaving, having carpets cleaned, having me meet them at the property and asking IN ADVANCE for a refund of their deposit, as they were leaving the state and needed ir for the next place or utility deposits and I accommodated them, with notice. But anyone who approached me like one poster suggested, would have gotten my lawyers direct line and told to contact him concerning their deposit, and I would not have mailed it one day before my 30 days were up! Leaving a mess and filth behind and expecting to get your deposit back is greedy and foolish. I have had renters who, like your brother, spilled something, had the carpet cleaned, but a no go on the kool aid and we made arrangements to have the carpet replaced at a reasonable cost (I know all the places to go and I know what I had in there and I know I don't want some piece of crap substituted for my good carpet, but I am reasonable too. One tenant had a carpet guy come in, his kid had spilled orange soda and covered it with a pizza box for 3 days and the carpet guy charged him $60. Turns out, it was the same guy I had used in the past and when I contacted him about the stain he agreed to refund the $60 to the guy and I got another guy I knew who had just finished a big job and had some very nice carpet that would cover this little area come in and do it for $100, so in essence, it was only an additional $40 and we solved the problem. But had he jerked me around, and been stupid and took me for a fool, I wouldn't have called the carpet guy and I wouldn't have pressed my friend to give me carpet worth 6x the price the price of the cost, just for the carpet. So it pays to be honest and be thorough. Most landlords are honest and are not interested in keeping deposits from good tenants, but yes, I have run into a few who look to take advantage. Do your best to clean it nicely and be proactive, invite him over to look on your last day and ask nicely when you can expect your deposit back, and if you think you have truely done a good job, ask in advance would he consider giving you your deposit after inspecting the unit instead of making you wait. If he says no, deal with it, don't get stupid. If after the time has passed for getting your deposit back, if it still has not been sent, in my state you had to send a list of items that were charged back to the tenant and a check for the difference, if there was one within that 30 days. I usually did mine right at the 2 week mark, as thats when any painting, cleaning and work would have likely to been completed. If it was simple wear and tear, fine, they got their deposit back. But if they claimed clean carpet that was really piss soaked carpet, they got a bill for the replacement carpet and padding, if they claimed clean fridge and it was filled with maggots, I took pictures and had a cleaning crew come in and de-maggot the fridge and I would send a copy of that bill (I wasn't obligated to produce the bill, but did it as a courtesy and to keep the animosity down. I have to say, most tenants left their units clean and in order, some even better than that. I NEVER EVER kept any of their deposits, as I think they were most certainly entitled to them. If I had a good tenant, who paid on time and was reasonable, if something was little not right, I would just eat it, within reason, and return their deposit. But idiots, filth mongers and morons who thought I should pay them for leaving stinking, rotting bags of garbage, feces dried on toilets, and maggot infested fridges, did not endear themselves to me. Hope this helps you! Good luck!

Original Question

Could be give your professional idea please?

Q. I have planned to paint my bed room's ceiling with white, wall with mint leaf green, is it okay? Similarly I have planned to paint my kid's room with sun rise or orange color, kitchen with orange color, living room with sandal wood/beacon or sugarcane color.
Please advise me?

A. happy with all of your choices except the orange in your childs room TBH
orange is a very strong over powering colour and whilst children are stimulated by a bright environment i think you will struggle to find accessories that compliment
and i also think this colour scene would get very tiresome very quickly
apart from that your choices are good,
green is a restful colour for a bedroom and wont look cold,
perhaps cut down on the amount of orange in the kitchen too, for the same reasons as the bedroom though as an accent colour it can give a kitchen quite a morroccan feel to it

Original Question

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Read more...