How hard is it anyway?

Recently, I was sharing in a conversation with a friend how important I feel that making the bed is each day. If the kitchen is the heart of our home, the bedroom is the center of our lives. Think about this: If you are one who does not make your bed each day, doesn’t this reflect back on how your life is in general, a bit messy and unkempt. How hard is it really to make your bed?

Position your bed so that it is in the center of the room. This makes it so much easier to make. Use pretty sheets, and invest in a comforter and new pillows you like that complements these sheets. Recently I was watching a “Today Show” segment, which reported that we should be replacing our pillows every TWO years, because of dust mites. Have you seen how ugly these things are, yuck! Washing our pillowcases is not enough; throw your pillow into a hot dryer as well.

I like to use a minimum of six pillows on my bed, two with the complementary pillow cases for sleeping or two of the 24-inch European square pillows, and two king or queen-size pillows covered with pillow shams along the line of your color scheme. (It is important to remember, proportion is a key element in design, even as simple as this. A king bed needs king pillows; a queen bed needs queen pillows and so on.) Add two colorful throw pillows for the final touch.

Pillows are a relatively inexpensive way to brighten up a room and tie it together. If you choose a solid theme for the bed cover and pil-low shams, the throw pillow become a quick and easy accessory to change out as the seasons change.

For example, if your bed has a very neutral color scheme, at this time of year I would add a couple of colorful floral pillows that will take me through the summer. For fall, utilize the autumn tones, and then Christmas through February, choose red, and then we are back to spring.

To make a bed each day takes just a few min-utes. The true significance is the overall pres-ence this creates in your whole life as you walk by your bed each time. It is the first thing we see each morning, and the last thing we see each night.

Making a conscious effort to do this every day creates a level of consistency and peace, in this very busy world we live in. It will spill over to how you keep the rest of your bedroom, your closet, to your kitchen, or your home in general.

What about our children? As we were raising our three children, they were expected to make their beds every day, no matter what. And guess what? I never had to hound them ever to keep their rooms picked up. It was just a “learned” behavior that began at a very young age.

Clutter and mess pulls us down. The bedroom is the center of our lives, and if you take the small amount of effort to keep this clean, pretty and organized, the rest of your life will reflect it.

As always, your Comfort is our Central con-cern, call 756-6656, for all your heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical and drain cleaning needs.

Spring has sprung…something yummy for Easter: Easy Hollandaise Sauce

2 extra large egg yolks, at room temperature

1 1/2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper

6 T unsalted butter melted, hot

Place first five ingredients in a blender, process on low, for 15 seconds. Remove the top insert in lid, with blender on low, slowly, add the hot butter for 30 seconds until thick. Serve immediately.

By LISA A. FLAM

Associated Press

If you’re like some people (ahem) who put up window

treatments and never give them a second thought, even as the dust accumulates, this might just be the

season to pay them a little respect.

No need to stress out about adding another task to your spring-cleaning to-do list: You don’t have to clean curtains, shades and the windows themselves THAT often. And many times, it’s not that difficult.

“In our experience, the windows and window treat-ments are something that people avoid cleaning be-cause they’re not entirely sure the best way to do it,” says Betsy Goldberg, home director of Real Simple magazine.

“It’s not hard,” she adds. “It just takes a little bit of time.”

If simply removing dirt isn’t reason enough to clean, consider that dust can dull the fabric of curtains and shades. Household odors can linger. And washing helps preserve the fabric, especially for window treat-ments that get a daily dose of sunshine, says Tammy Kupernik of retailer Country Curtains.

“If you don’t wash them, the sun will break down the threads,” she says.

“Washing them keeps the colors bright, it keeps the threads soft and it does add to the life of the curtain.”

CURTAINS AND DRAPES

Window treatments should be cleaned once or twice a year, experts say, and the best method varies by material. Some can be refreshed in the washer or cleaned with a vacuum, while others may require a pro.

Start by reading the care tag or directions that came with the product: Some items are dry clean only. If the instructions are unavailable, experts offer general guidelines:

Most curtains that are lined or made of silk likely require dry cleaning, Kupernik says.

Curtains that are not lined or insulated usually can be washed by machine, in a short, gentle cycle with

cool water, she says. Those made of a poly-cotton blend can usually go in a medium-heat dryer, but 100 percent cotton curtains should be line-dried to prevent shrinkage.

Curtains and roller shades that are insulated with a bonded layer that keeps out the cold can be machine washed in a short, gentle cycle in cool water and line dried, Kupernik says. But be careful. If the insulated sides touch each other while drying, they can peel off and ruin the curtain.

Sheer and lace curtains should be washed by ma-chine in a short, gentle cycle with cold water and line dried, Kupernik said, adding that both can be touched up with light ironing. Once sheers get in the high heat of a dryer, wrinkles become permanent, she said.

After curtains come down for cleaning, dust the rod before hanging them back up.

If you don’t want to take them down, Goldberg offers this method for cleaning unlined curtains made from lightweight, sheer or semi-sheer fabric: Close the windows and the curtains and spray the curtains

 

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