3 Ways to Clean Your Sponges

Sponges are a kitchen staple, but a clean sponge can spread grime all over your eating space. How often should you clean your sponge, and how should you do this? Don’t just trash a sponge when it begins looking spotty. Instead, clean them weekly, and toss them out monthly or sooner, depending on frequency of use. Our friends at Good Housekeeping offer the following solutions:

Soak ’em. Mix a third-quarter cup of bleach in one gallon of water. Soak the sponge for five minutes, then rinse. How effective is this? In testing, the bleach solution kills 99.9 percent of the three bacteria strains from the test sponges, which is the benchmark based on the EPA’s requirement for sanitization of non-food-contact surfaces.

Brine ’em. Not a fan of bleach? Vinegar is nearly as effective, killing 99.6 percent of bacteria. Simply soak your sponge in full-strength vinegar for five minutes, then rinse with water.

Zap ’em. Microwaving your sponge does indeed work, zapping 99.9 percent of germs. How do you do it? Saturate your sponge with water, then microwave it on high for one minute.

Cycle ’em. You can run your sponge through the dishwasher to sanitize them, again killing 99.9 percent of germs. Just add your sponge to a regular dishwasher load, and, if you can, use the heated dry setting.

Source: Good Housekeeping

How to Childproof Your House

Children are often oblivious to the many dangers around them. Accidents in the home are a leading cause of injury and death among children. Here are a few ways to childproof your home and keep your little one safe.

Potential Hazards
Look at your home from a baby’s or toddler’s perspective. Ask yourself: What would catch my eye if I were low to the ground? Look for those things that your child would reach for, pull down, play with or put in their mouth.

When babies are learning to walk, they grab furniture and bookcases for support. Many injuries and deaths occur each year when young children pull on furniture or televisions and the objects fall on top of them. Secure heavy objects to the walls to prevent this. Keep dressers and filing cabinets closed when you’re not using them. Cover sharp corners on furniture to prevent injuries if your child falls.

Use childproof gates to keep your baby or toddler out of hazardous areas, such as specific rooms or stairs. Choose gates that are difficult to climb and do not have V-shaped openings, which can trap children.

Open windows from the top or keep them closed. A screen is not strong enough to prevent a child from falling out of a window. Do not place furniture near windows because that can make it easy for a child to climb onto a windowsill. Children can be strangled by cords on blinds. Use window coverings without cords.

Outlets are a common source of injuries. Children are tempted to play with them and stick objects in the openings, which can lead to electrocution. Use outlet covers with safety latches to protect your child.

Store any medications, vitamins, cleaning supplies or other chemicals in cabinets with childproof locks to keep them out of reach. Properly dispose of any expired medication. Store the phone number for your local poison control center in your cell phone.

A child can drown in just a few inches of water. Never leave a child unattended in a bath, even if he or she is sitting in a chair. Install a latch on the toilet’s lid to keep it closed. If you use a bucket of water for cleaning, never leave it unattended and dump it as soon as you finish. Always supervise a child using a pool or kiddie pool.

Install smoke detectors throughout your house and check the batteries regularly. When your child is old enough, explain the dangers of fire and how to prevent accidents and injuries. Never allow a child to touch the stove. Put away any appliances that use heat, such as a hair dryer and curling iron, when they’re not being used.

Look Around Your Home
Your child will want to explore your house as soon as they’re able to crawl. Dangers are everywhere, and they will increase as your child becomes more mobile. Take the time to childproof each room in your home to prevent accidents.

Wood Floor Alternatives Worth a Second Look

Wood floors are a top choice for modern homeowners. Proponents believe they offer warmth as well as elegance, but they do require care to maintain their luster and are costly. Fortunately, say flooring exerts, technology makes it easy to achieve the look and feel of wood flooring without the need for special care—and at a far lower cost.

Check out the look and feel of these alternatives at local flooring or big box stores. (If you don’t plan to do it yourself, factor in $30 to $45 an hour for professional installation):

Bamboo
Bamboo flooring is an eco-friendly alternative to hardwood that is easy to clean, shrugs off wear and tear, and results in a similar look. Available in vertical, horizontal or strand-woven varieties, it will cost $2 to $5 per square foot.

Engineered Wood
Designed to handle moisture and wear, engineered wood flooring is durable, moisture resistant and available in a variety of wood-look patterns. This faux wood flooring is so much like the real deal (because it includes real wood in the layering) that it can even be refinished. Expect to pay $8 to $12 per square foot.

Laminate
Laminate vinyl is a photo of wood that is laminated onto vinyl flooring. Very resistant to high-traffic wear, it’s available in a wide variety of wood-like designs. It’s moisture-resistant, making it a great choice for kitchens and bathrooms. Laminate vinyl can come in sheets, tiles or planks. The price is significantly less than hardwood, with luxury vinyl tile coming in at $2 to $5 per square foot.

Porcelain Tile
A perennially popular flooring material, porcelain flooring comes in a variety of sizes, colors, and designs, many of which mimic wood-grain textures. In general, tile is durable, easy to clean and water resistant, making it ideal for bathrooms and kitchens. Large-format tiles can serve as a dramatic decor element, visually expanding a room due to minimal grout lines. Average cost is $4 to $9 per square foot.

Dual Purpose Plants: Cleansing and Decorating

A good-looking houseplant adds pizzazz to your home. It can also be the next best thing to a live-in housekeeper, says John VanZile, author of Houseplants for A Healthy Home, out in May.

That’s because a number of houseplants contain properties that help rid the air around you of various chemicals and parasites. In fact, VanZile told House Beautiful, installing a few potted plants in your home can help you breathe and even sleep better without ever lifting a vacuum.

Top contenders to choose from include:

Rubber Plan: In addition to a adding dramatic accent to any room, studies show that rubber plants can remove airborne toxins from the air, such as formaldehyde—found in many cleaning supplies. VanZile advises wiping the leaves with a moist paper towel now and then to keep their pores open for optimal air purification.

Boston Fern: These lush ferns are great for removing common airborne pollutants like formaldehyde, xylene and toluene, which are thought to cause headaches, trouble breathing and the growth of cancerous cells. The Boston fern also combats winter dryness by raising indoor humidity.

Areca Palm: A 1989 NASA study declared this stately palm to be one of the most powerful air-purifying plants, particularly for its ability to remove formaldehyde from an indoor environment.

Peace Lily: The beautiful, blooming Peace Lily is a powerhouse for filtering air. NASA studies show it can filter benzene, formaldehyde, tri-chloroethylene (TCE), xylene, toluene and ammonia from indoor air–toxins that can cause headaches, respiratory problems and an increased risk of cancer. The Peace Lily can also remove airborne mold that aggravates allergies and asthma symptoms. VanZile recommends placing a few in your bathroom to reduce mold growth.

Philodendron. These popular and attractive houseplants are easy to grow and clean the air of formaldehyde and xylene, a toxin found in glues and leathers.

5 Ways to Save Energy and Money

Cutting down on energy use is great for the environment. It can also save you big bucks. Alternative energy proponent IGS Energy suggests four green and easy ways to do both:

Minimize ‘phantom loads.’ The term ‘phantom load’ refers to the energy that an appliance or electronic device consumes when it is not actually turned on. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), some 75 percent of the electricity in an average home is used to power electronics while the products are off. A report from the University of California Berkeley says that phantom loads account for about six percent of all residential electricity consumption. You can eliminate phantom loads by unplugging appliances and electronics when you are not using them or by plugging them into a power strip and turning the strip off when they are not in use.

Upgrade your appliances. When shopping for new appliances, look for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star label. These appliances use less energy and water than their conventional counterparts. They may cost more than appliances without the Energy Star designation, but, in most cases, they will more than make up that additional cost through energy savings.

Change your light bulbs. One of the least expensive and most effective changes you can make in your home is replacing your light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL), which cost just a few dollars more and will save about $30 in energy costs over their lifetime. CFL bulbs use 75 percent less energy and last about 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Some people are concerned because CFLs contain mercury, but Energy Star says CFLs do not release any mercury when in use, and actually reduce mercury emissions because they lessen the need for electricity from power plants that emit mercury.

Install a programmable thermostat. These thermostats automatically adjust your home’s temperature to your schedule, keeping it comfortable only when you need it to be. If you don’t already adjust your thermostat throughout the day, a programmable thermostat could save you as much as 15 percent on heating and cooling costs.

5 Easy Organizational Tips

Do you feel like you’re constantly battling clutter around the house? You’re not alone, and nothing can feel more frustrating than not being able to locate something when you need it, or wading through piles of items to get there. Below are five, easy organizational tips that can offer major upgrades:

Tension Rod for Pot Lids
If you store your pots and pans in a drawer, install a tension rod along the inside and slip your pot lids behind it. No more rattling pots or hard-to-find tops!

Gallon Bags for Drawers
Organize your underwear or t-shirt drawer by separating your items and storing them in gallon-sized plastic bags. You’ll never lose 10 minutes hunting for that pair of socks again.

CD Holders for Tupperware
Remember those old CD racks? Re-purpose them in your Tupperware cabinet by using them to keep your lids separate, sorted and easy to grab.

Repurposed Wine Rack
Gifted a large wine rack that rarely feels full? Use it in a hallway or closet to store shoes, scarves and other items that need to be tucked away.

Muffin Tin Magic
Have a junk drawer that never stays organized? Slip a muffin tin inside to separate your odds and ends.

4 Luxe Father's Day Gift Ideas for Around the House

Father’s Day is right around the corner, but there’s still time to get the perfect gift. With endless options to choose from, it can be difficult to find something that lets dad know just how much he means to you. For the fathers who already have it all, here are several fun gift ideas that he’ll enjoy using at home.  

Gifts for the Home Gym
Everyone’s working out from home these days, but for some, it can be a struggle. If this sounds like your dad,give him a gift for the home gym that’s worth getting excited about, like a Peloton bike or Mirror, a wall-mounted LCD screen that gives you access to professional trainers and endless exercise classes. 

Garage-Inspired Gifts
For the dad who spends his free time tinkering in the garage, get him something that he can use in his happy place. A beautiful new set of tools is always a great choice, but if he’s all set in that department, you can get him a professional-grade tool chest to store everything. A refrigerator for keeping his favorite beverages nearby is another practical option that’s sure to come in handy. 

Something for the Rec Room
Does he need some new activities to enjoy at home? Then get him a gift for the rec room, like a handcrafted chess board or a billiard table. If he’s the type who likes an ongoing project, then a home brewing kit to make his own beer might be the ideal gift to keep him busy and discover a new hobby.

Backyard Gift Ideas
When we think of backyard gifts for dad, a brand new grill always comes to mind. However, if he already has a state-of-the-art grill for cooking his favorite meals, then maybe he could use an outdoor bar cart for crafting his favorite beverages without having to run back inside the house. 

Smart Home Gadgets That Will Elevate Your Home

Technology seems to mutate with the speed of light, but is your home keeping up with the changes? Smarten it up with a few smart-home electronics that will boost safety, increase comfort and may even save you a few bucks:

Video Doorbell
The VTech Video Doorbell, about $115, lets you screen and even video chat with visitors before you answer the door. And the system takes a snapshot each time the doorbell is pressed, so you’ll always know who came a-knocking while you were away.

Smart Door Lock
The August Smart Lock uses keyless technology to keep your home safe no matter where you are. From your smartphone, you can let guests in, check to make sure you locked up before you left, keep a record of who has entered and exited, and unlock your door from the driveway. Cost? About $220.

Home Automation
You can ease into wireless control of your lighting and appliances with Insteon’s Start Here Kit, about $125, before moving on to automating other household needs, like irrigation control and occupancy sensing.

Water Saver
The WaterPebble Water Saver memorizes the length of your first shower and uses it as a benchmark to measure future shower times. Using a series of ‘traffic lights,’ it reduces your shower time by a fraction each time, helping you save on your water bill without trying. About $12.

Learning Thermostat
For about $250, the Nest programmable thermostat will learn your heating and cooling schedule and program itself. It can even be controlled from your phone and could save you up to 20 percent on energy costs.

Smart Watering
Is your sprinkling system over-watering or under-watering your lawn? Toro’s wireless Xtra Smart Soil Moisture Sensor keeps the moisture level just right. Not only will the health of you lawn improve, but your wallet (and the Earth) will benefit, too. About $115.

How to Get the Best Mortgage Refinance Rates

If you can find a lower mortgage rate than the one you already have, then refinancing a mortgage can make sense. Here are some of the best ways to get a low rate:

Raise Your Credit Score
For a conventional loan, borrowers with a credit score of 740 or more will usually get the best interest rates. Having a minimum credit score of 620 will often lead to a higher rate. Raising your credit score can help. Some methods take longer than others, but improving your score is one of the best moves to make when refinancing a mortgage.

Start by paying your bills on time, which has the biggest impact on a credit score. You can also improve your credit utilization, meaning using less of the credit available to you on your credit cards.

For example, if you have three credit cards with a total credit limit of $10,000, but all of the card balances add up to $5,000, your credit utilization rate is 50 percent. Ideally, it should be under 20 percent to get the best mortgage rate. The credit utilization rate can be dropped by paying down the credit card balance, using less of the credit available or getting a higher credit limit.

Lower Debt
Reducing your debt-to-income ratio, or DTI, by paying down your credit card balance is another big way to improve a credit score. A DTI of 36 percent or lower is preferable. To lower your debt, put off big purchases, such as a new car or appliances, until after you’ve refinanced your mortgage.

Shop Around
Don’t refinance with the first lender you find, or even with your current lender. There are many loan products available, and many lenders that offer them.

Research what national banks, credit unions, community banks and your current lender offers for mortgage refinances before choosing one that’s right for you. Some lenders may have in-house loans that they don’t sell on the open market that are more flexible and have better rates and terms than other lenders.

Be sure to pick a lender that you’re comfortable with and trust, and don’t just focus on the interest rate. The lender you choose will be helping you with one of the biggest financial transactions of your life, and you want to work with someone who has your best interests in mind.

Real Estate Buyers and Sellers 2020 Have Your Agent Protect You With a Covid 19 Clause

What Are "Corona Virus Clauses?"

The corona virus has caused businesses across the United States and around the world to close and has made it difficult or impossible for many financial transactions to be completed. Real estate closings are complex and some of the parties involved may be unable to perform their duties on schedule or at all due to COVID-19. Agents are therefore including corona virus clauses in contracts. 

How Can a Corona Virus Clause Protect Buyers and Sellers?
A force majeure clause is a provision in a contract that excuses one or both parties’ failure to meet their obligations if they were unable to do so because of circumstances beyond their control. It allows the parties to delay a transaction or to cancel it without facing a penalty. Force majeure clauses may apply to acts of God (earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, etc.), war, epidemics, government actions and other circumstances. 

The wording in force majeure clauses varies. It may not apply to COVID-19, or standard language may be open to interpretation. To prevent legal challenges later, real estate agents are adding language specifically addressing the corona virus to purchase contracts.

Different states have drafted their own corona virus clauses to include in real estate contracts. Though the specific language differs, the clauses generally allow the parties to delay the closing or to cancel a purchase contract without a penalty.

How Could COVID-19 Affect a Real Estate Closing?
A buyer who has been laid off or furloughed may not be able to return to work anytime soon, or at all, and therefore, may be unable to get a mortgage. That uncertainty can make both buyers and sellers nervous. Corona virus clauses allow the parties to delay the closing or to cancel the contract if a job loss or reduction in income has left the buyer unable to obtain financing. 

Some parts of the home-buying process, such as an inspection and appraisal, require a worker to physically go to a house. Many inspectors and appraisers are reluctant to do so due to fear of contracting the corona virus, especially if the house is still occupied. 

Government and business offices across the country have closed or cut their hours. That means that title searches, mortgage applications and other critical parts of the process may be delayed.

Although some jurisdictions allow virtual closings, others do not. Due to travel restrictions and social distancing, it may be impossible to get the parties together to close as they typically would in the past. 

Discuss a Corona Virus Clause With Your Real Estate Agent
COVID-19 has created widespread uncertainty and anxiety. If you were planning to close on a house, the process may be held up for weeks or longer. You may be concerned about your job security and income, leaving you unsure about whether you can or should proceed. Talk to your real estate agent about any concerns you have and how a corona virus clause could protect you.

Self-Employed? 3 Ways to Get Ahead of Next Year's Taxes

Tax time is, for many, one of the most stressful times of the year. But if you sit back and relax completely after filing your annuals, this may be part of the problem. In order to reduce stress at tax time, it’s important to prep ahead – especially if you spent the two weeks leading up to your filing date scrounging through receipts, guessing at your driving miles and crossing your fingers for the right deductions. If this accurately depicts you, it may be time to update your finance management. In addition to relieving stress, you will also reduce your audit rate, and open up more free time to spend with clients.

Below are a handful of suggestions to help you prep for next year’s tax season.

Go digital with receipts. Gone are the days of paper receipts – or, at least, they should be gone. If you’re keeping hard copies of your expenses and manually logging them into a spreadsheet, you’re wasting time, and leaving room for error. Like most things nowadays, there’s an app for that. Using QuickBooks Self-Employed, you can connect your bank account or credit card and auto file all your expenses in one place. You can also snap a photo of receipts to match with a correlating expense.

Automate those miles. Every single turn of the wheel that you make for your business is tax-deductible, but you need to properly record it in order for the miles to be eligible. Writing down miles manually only to enter them into a spreadsheet later is a waste of time, and a call for errors. Instead, get an app that will automatically track your trips for you. Many of these apps will auto start when you begin driving. When your drive is over, the app will prompt you to categorize the trip as personal or business, and some will show how much money in deductions you’ll get per trip.

Do your quarterlies. To stay on top of your annual taxes, you should also stay on top of your quarterlies. The easiest way to do this is to keep your income and expenses up-to-date in your accounting software, which will estimate your quarterly taxes for you.

By staying financially organized year-round, taxes should be a breeze next year.