8 Tips for Surviving a Kitchen Remodel

It’s finally happening- you are getting the kitchen of your dreams! For all gourmet cooks (and those who aspire to be), a kitchen remodel is the beginning of many exciting culinary adventures. However, before you can fire up your fancy new Viking range, you need to find a way to cope with the stress and inconvenience that comes along with upgrading your existing kitchen.

It takes a little creativity and a LOT of planning, but it is possible to still dine at home in the midst of a kitchen renovation. Here are a few helpful tips to guide you through the construction period as smoothly as possible.

1. Understand the Timeframe

 Discuss a timeline with your contractor to get a realistic estimate of how long you will not be able to use your kitchen. Make sure to find out if you can use parts of the kitchen for some of the renovation period, or if the entire area will need to be avoided. With these details in mind, develop a workaround for the areas which can still be used, if any. Is there space for the fridge to be plugged in until the flooring needs to be replaced? Will you still have access to the kitchen sink when the contractors have left for the day? Just remember that renovation can be a messy business and you may want to seal off the kitchen from the rest of the house until the remodel is complete.

2. Set Up a Temporary Kitchen

 Even if you’re planning to eat out at restaurants for the majority of the renovation, you still may wish to have an area in which you can make a morning cup of coffee or toast a bagel. You can set up a temporary kitchen space in a garage, basement or corner of a downstairs room, such as the family room. If you have an area with a wet bar or a utility tub, that would work well for any dishes that may need to be washed. Make sure there are plenty of available outlets for the appliances you may wish to plug in.

3. Stock Up

During your kitchen remodel, be sure to buy items like canned soup, cold cereal, breakfast bars and frozen meals that you can eat conveniently and relatively easily at home. You may also want to check into prepared foods at your supermarket’s deli for meal ideas- you will be amazed at the quality and variety of the foods they offer! Cooking meals ahead of time is another good option, provided you still have access to a microwave and a freezer during the remodel. Save yourself the headache of doing the dishes and buy disposable tableware until your renovation is complete.

4. Pack it Away…or Don’t

 Before the remodel is scheduled to begin, take the time to carefully pack up the contents of your kitchen. This is also a good time to purge any items you never use (hello, breadmaker wedding present!) and any duplicate, broken or mismatched items you may have. Don’t forget to set aside any utensils or appliances you may still need on a daily basis during the remodel.

5. Protect the Rest of the House

 Aside from the kitchen, think about the other high-traffic areas of the house that need to be protected from construction dust and workers walking through all day. Drop cloths can be laid down on the floors to protect carpet from stains, and breakable items such as pictures, sculpture and knickknacks, should be removed from any walls or shelves that could be accidentally bumped when cabinetry or appliances are being moved in.

6. Take it Outside

 If you are doing your kitchen renovation during the warmer months, your outdoor grill and patio table serves as a wonderful substitute for the kitchen. You can use your grill to roast veggies, bake pizza and make foil-packet dinners like you did at camp as a kid. With the addition of a picnic blanket and some s’mores, you and your family will think of the kitchen remodel as a fun adventure instead of a burden or inconvenience.

7. Don’t Forget Fido

 If your pet is used to his food and water bowls being in the kitchen, start moving his bowls to an alternate location about a week before the remodel begins. This will help them get used to eating in a different place. Also, if your pet is constantly underfoot or especially anxious around strange people and noises, be sure to keep him away from work areas at all times.

8. Get Away From it All

As long as you’re OK with leaving your kitchen remodel contractors in the house without you there, this is an ideal time for a family vacation, camping trip or long weekend at the lake. Being away from the remodel will not only recharge your batteries, but you will be amazed and surprised by the progress the remodelers have made upon your return.

All of you who have done a remodel, what other tips can you give? If you are about to do a remodel, what questions do you have? Leave them in the comments section.

Stay Safe This Fourth of July

The celebration of our nation’s independence is upon us once again, and with it comes the promise of food, fun and fireworks! Make sure you and your family stay safe this Independence Day weekend by following these tips:

Firework Safety- Nothing like a gorgeous display of fireworks lighting up the night to celebrate our country. However, most parts of Colorado prohibit purchase and use of any fireworks that leave the ground, such as Roman candles and bottle rockets. If you live in a county that has a ban on fireworks, go and enjoy a professional fireworks display in your area. If your county allows personal use of fireworks, make sure to practice safety measures such as maintaining a safe distance from buildings, vehicles and people, keeping a bucket of water nearby in case of emergencies, and making sure to protect your eyes with safety glasses.

Drink Responsibly- With the abundance of BBQs and pool parties flowing with beer and wine, the 4^th of July is a great holiday to let the good times roll. Just make sure you rein in your good time to avoid harming yourself as well as others. If you plan on drinking at a party, make sure to appoint a designated driver to get you safely from Point A to Point B. One bad decision could literally cost you your life!

Protect Your Pets- Sure, you might love the bright lights and loud bangs of fireworks, but your pets may not be as keen. To help keep them calm during one of the loudest nights of the year, keep them in a safe space they are used to, such as a crate or small bedroom, and resist taking them along with you to fireworks displays and loud parties. Also, if you plan to set off your own fireworks, make sure your pets are safely out of the way to avoid tragic accidents.

Everyone at Appliance Factory & Mattress Kingdom wish you all a very happy and safe Fourth of July weekend! Share with us what your plans are.

Clean House Tips for Pet Owners

As a nation, we love our pets. Our furry friends make us laugh and give us constant companionship and unconditional love. We don’t, however, have to love the messes, odors and disorganization that pets can bring to the table when we open our homes to them. Here are a few cleaning tips for pet owners who love a tidy house as much as they love their four-legged fur babies.

Minimize the hair issue. Dogs and cats shed- a lot. Unless you have a breed that doesn’t shed, chances are your house is overrun with pet hair. This can not only make your furniture look shabby and unclean, but can also wreak havoc upon houseguests and family members with an allergy to pet dander. Grooming your pets regularly can cut down on the amount of dog or cat hair that is shed in the house, as can putting a special sheet, towel or blanket down on the spot(s) your pet occupies most often and then shaking off the hair outside before laundering. Of course, nothing cuts through the hair better than a thorough vacuuming- you may wish to invest in a good vacuum cleaner specially designed for pet owners, and give the major areas of your house a good vacuuming at least twice weekly.

Wipe Your Paws. Dogs are known to track mud in from the yard, especially in winter and spring months. To avoid muddy pawprints on your clean floors, keep a towel and shallow container half-full of room-temperature water by the door, and clean your pooch’s paws off as soon as they come inside. Baby wipes are also a practical weapon in the war on paw prints, and can be very effective after a walk through a muddy puddle.

Stains happen. No matter how well you train and care for your pet, accidents are bound to happen. Puppies get excited and forget their potty training. Kitties miss the litter box. Dogs and cats of all ages sometimes get illnesses which cause accidents that can be unpleasant to clean. It is a part of pet ownership that you know about as soon as you sign up. All you can do is learn how to treat pet stains effectively. The best way to deal with fresh stains is to remove solid residue, then blot with a clean white cloth, then apply a solution of one cup lukewarm water and a couple drops of clear dishwashing liquid. Blot dry and repeat steps until the stain is gone.

For persistent stains and odors, I recommend Amaziing Solutions Pet Stain Remover and Pet Odor Eliminator ($19.97, Amazon). When used as directed, this product can eliminate even the strongest odors caused by pet stains on carpets and upholstery. It is by far the finest enzyme-based odor eliminator I have used, and got rid of stains and smells I thought were going to be there forever!

Speaking of Odors… Even when it is not the direct result of a potty accident, pet owners know that there is a certain “smell” that comes with furry friends. Candles, plug-in air fresheners and odor-neutralizing sprays such as Febreze can go a long way in making your house smell fresh and pleasant, but please do try to follow the “less is more” approach to camouflaging pet odors with artificial scent. The best way to keep your home smelling fresh and clean is to regularly clean surfaces with lemon, baking soda and vinegar, and to sprinkle baking soda onto your carpet prior to vacuuming.

It’s furniture, not FUR-niture. If you’re like me, you can’t bear to be one of those people who doesn’t allow their pet on the furniture. As far as I’m concerned, my dogs are my family members and are therefore entitled to rest on any bed, couch or ottoman they please. The result, of course, is an endless supply of dog hair on the couch cushions and throw pillows, not to mention the “dog smell” that can arise from time to time. To combat these issues while still allowing your pet to make himself at home, consider purchasing furniture with microfiber or microsuede upholstery. Both of these materials are durable enough to withstand pressure from claws without tearing or snagging, and can be easily cleaned with a damp cloth. Additionally, you may want to take your pet’s fur color into consideration when buying a sofa: true story, when my husband and I were buying our furniture for our first house, I took a few “samples” of my bulldog’s hair and laid it on the couches we were considering to find the color that best camouflaged it.

It’s not easy to have a clean home and a pet at the same time, but it can be done, with a little patience, diligence and consistency. Have any stories of pet-related house disasters and how you cleaned them up? Please let us know in the comments section.