Kitchen Improvements: What Can We Do Ourselves?

Do you have look around your house and just get the urge to head for B&Q for a tub of paint, or fancy a change of tiles in the bathroom? There’s nothing worse than living in a home that’s looking a little bit drab and stagnant and breathing life into a room can really raise the spirits too. They don’t even need to be massive changes that cost a fortune either – adding a couple of shelves to a wall in your living room so that kid’s DVDs don’t clutter up the carpet or giving the hallway a fresh lick of paint are easy jobs that most people would be happy to get stuck into and will make your home seem fresh and revitalised. 

When it comes to the kitchen, there are plenty of improvements that we can do ourselves. As the heart of many homes, a kitchen should ooze light and airy vibes and after a while, the build-up of grease and grime will take away from this ideal. While major kitchen improvements such as replacing a boiler can cost a fortune, smaller jobs can be tackled with ease. Of course, make sure that your boiler is well looked after because the bill you could face if it died can be crippling. . With boiler care from British Gas, you can pay a monthly premium to benefit from the added peace of mind that boiler insurance provides, while many of the policies that British Gas offer also include an annual service our boiler will continue to work to its full capacity and your kitchen upgrades can be easy and affordable for longer. 

Other updates to the kitchen that could make it look like a completely different room, without forking out thousands for new units, include:

• Adding a lick of paint to the cupboard doors so that they look like new, but they aren’t. Crafty.
• You don’t even have to go this far – giving them a good clean and replacing the handles can do the world of good!
• Replacing tiles around the splash back or adding tile transfers sporadically for a splash of colour.
• Repainting the walls to brighten the room and adding a blind to the winter which compliments the new look.

Make your kitchen a delight to spend time in with budget-friendly renovations that will completely change the feeling of the room. 

Disclaimer. This post is bought to you with British Gas! 

Solving the Kid's Disasters: Fixing their Wrongdoings in your Home

Have you ever popped upstairs to do something and come back down to find crayon all over the wall or a toilet roll stuffed down the loo? Every child has done, or will do, something during their infant years and if they don't, you're one of the lucky ones.

The good thing is that most issues can be fixed without much, if any, detriment to your home interior.

A Blocked Toilet

While blockages are a common issue regardless, having children can increase your chances of an overflowing loo. Knowing what to do if you have a blocked toilet can save you a lot of hassle and while calling a plumber or Dyno is sometimes inevitable, most of the time, callout fees can be avoided if you are willing to do it yourself.

Shifting a blockage that your child has caused will probably not require the wonders of bleach, because it's probably not biodegradable. It's more likely to be half a packet of baby wipes or the inside of a toilet roll with the rest of the toilet paper stuffed on top of it. Invest in a plunger for this and some rubber gloves.

Crayon on walls

Your kids may think that their art is nothing short of a masterpiece but all you can think is that your walls are not a canvas. While the easy option would be to paint over it, you may wish to try removing it before reaching for the paintbrush. The humble baby wipe or even a rolled up piece of bread can often help to shift a stubborn crayon or felt tip squiggle.

Nail Varnish on the Carpets

You may be asking yourself how they got it but the simple answer is, they just did. All you have to do is try and get it out of the shag pile which will likely require a lot of nail varnish remover and a great deal of elbow grease.

Sharpie on the Sideboard

We can handle it when it's a felt tip pen that will clean off but when our little cherubs manage to get permanent marker on our antique wooden furniture, it's more of a challenge. Apparently, drawing over the marker with a dry erase marker then wiping off with a paper towel will do the trick.

We all love our kids dearly but we also know they can be real tinkers sometimes. Cover their tracks with these helpful tips. 

Have you got any other tips you would like to share? Tell me in the comments, the best will be added to the post. 

Paul 

Disclosure. This post was produced in association with Dyno.