CrossTeam Properties Offers Advice on Home and Garden Improvements

Mirrors are an essential piece of furniture in every household. Bathroom mirrors are probably the most common.

When selecting what mirror to purchase, be it as a bedroom mirror or bathroom mirror, one of the important points to consider is where the mirror will be located. This will of course be determined mostly by what the mirror will be used for.

If the mirror is going to be located in the bathroom then the viewing space and convenience are crucial points to consider. On the other hand if the mirror is merely going to be used for decorating walls then smaller mirrors would do. There are also those mirrors that are usually attached to another piece of furniture (fixture mirrors). Some models of Schneider cabinets, for instance, come equipped with their own mirrors.

When buying a mirror it is important to think about the shape. Purely from an aesthetic point of view, it is crucial to have a mirror shape that is in harmony with the style of the room. There are various mirror shapes available and these range from square to oval to arched to geometric to sunburst to circular.

The other thing to think about is the style of the mirror. The styles range from contemporary to modern to traditional to country to exotic to ornate. The traditional style of mirror is symmetrical and is likely to have a dark or richly grained wood as a frame. The contemporary mirror style tends to be sandwiched between traditional and casual style and is characterised by straight clean lines and edges.

The furniture that is required for the contemporary bedroom includes the essential beds and mattresses, plus a dressing table, wardrobes and a chest of drawers; a jewellery armoire may also be required. It is a fact that, on average, we spend close to a third of our lives in the bedroom. Admittedly this is usually while we are asleep, even so it is important to purchase bedroom furniture that is not only functional but which also possesses style whilst providing comfort.

When choosing the all-important mattress, one of the most important factors that you need to consider is your sleeping style. There are people who are side sleepers and those who sleep while lying on their stomach or back. Mattresses are available which are suited to each of these sleeping styles. It is important to remember that the firmer mattresses although providing good support are not suitable for everybody.  People who sleep mostly on their back will benefit most from a firm mattress. It is a good idea to lie on a mattress in a store before purchasing, to see how it feels to you.

The choice of beds available is huge.  Apart from the look and the style there is the choice of a slatted base or a sprung divan base to consider.  The latter are usually more expensive than the former. Beds are also made in various materials, including the metal bedstead design that has come back into fashion in recent years and some beautiful designs made from wood.

The other items of furniture come down really to a matter of personal taste.  Most people will follow the theme and style of the other furniture that they have already purchased for their home, but the excellent range of designer furniture that is now available should be explored.

When winter is fast approaching, we all feel the need to have a nice comfy bed to snuggle in. Cold weather means it is time to dig out the heavy artillery from your linen closet. Your flannel sheets, comforters, and heavy blankets will make an appearance at this time. Here, we offer you some tips on how to care for them.

•    If the washer and dryer you have at home are too small, it might be a good idea to take your winter beddings to a commercial laundry that has machines big enough to handle even the heaviest comforters. This will not only result in cleaner beddings, it will also avoid damaging your washer and dryer with loads that are too heavy for them.

•    It may surprise you to know that most down comforters can actually be washed safely. It is important to read the manufacturer’s instructions carefully and use only the mildest soap possible.

•    Put some tennis balls into the dryer when drying your down comforters to minimize clumping and allow the down to maintain its fluffiness. To ensure a long life for your comforter, it is recommended that they be washed once a month at most.

•    For softer comforters and beddings, you may want to use fabric softening sheets as opposed to liquid softeners. This will ensure a more even distribution of the fabric softening ingredients and prevent static electricity from building up.

Caring for your bed and mattress is one thing, but your bed sheets, blankets, and pillowcases deserve their own special treatment as well. Here are some tips on how you can prolong the life of your valuable bed linen.

Washing bed linen
• In general, most bed linen should be washed in cool or tepid water at a lower temperature than 104°F. Hot water is generally not necessary nor recommended, although you will want to check the label for exceptions to this rule.

• If you feel that your bed linen is fairly clean, you may want to set the wash cycle to “light” in order to make them last longer.

• Don’t use too much detergent. Most bed linen will do just fine with half of the amount of detergent recommended by the instructions on the detergent’s box. If you happen to use too much detergent, you may want to run the bed linen through another rinse cycle.

• Do not use bleach unless absolutely necessary as it will cause the fabrics to break down much faster.

Drying bed linen
• Keep the bed linen in the dryer only until it is just short of totally dry. This will lessen wrinkles in the fabric.

• Make sure that you remove the bed linen from the dryer as soon as possible and fold them quickly. Again, this will lessen the wrinkles.

• If wrinkles develop in spite of your best efforts, throw a slightly damp cloth into the dryer along with the bed linen and run it for an additional ten minutes.