Tips for Eco-friendly Cleaning

By Towne Home Furnishings

Today is the largest environmental event in the world - Earth day! In fact, it is the perfect day to get involved in activities that can help make the planet cleaner, healthier and more sustainable. Even if one starts being eco-friendly at home by buying organic products, using energy-star appliances and recycling, it is a different story with furniture. In order to remain with today’s green spirit and lending our planet a helping hand, here are some tips on how to be eco-friendly while cleaning your furniture and upholstery.

First, you need to check your furniture cleaning code as it gives instructions and precautions on how to clean and care for it! If you bought or are planning to buy Ashley Furniture, you will find a cleaning code on your upholstery and furniture. Following these cleaning codes will help you make your furniture look newer and to maintain them longer. Here are the guidelines:

CLEANING CODE	MEANING	WASH: Cleaning products, water…	DRY
DC	Dry Cleaning only	û	ü
HW	Washing by hand	ü	û
S	Clean only with dry cleaning solvent. Do not saturate. Do not use water.	û	ü
W	Water only. Do not over wet. Do not use solvents to spot clean.	ü	û
SW, WS	Spot clean. Do not saturate with liquid.	ü	ü
X	Vacuuming or light brushing only	û	û
E, N	Use the Millennium Leather Care Kit	û	û

Once, the cleaning tag is found, read and understood; it’s time to get equipped! In order to be efficient, you will need 3 things:

1-      a vacuum cleaner

2-      accessories like small brushes,  cloth/towels, buckets

3-      cleaning products and water

How to proceed?

1.       Vacuum your furniture till it is dust free. If you vacuum your furniture frequently you will maintain it clean and well kept.

2.       Spot clean with cleaning products and water on the stains you wish to remove if the code is a “W, SW, WS “. You can also use a brush to take off the stains as well. This accessory works well while using powder on a stain.  Use cleaning products from manufacturers or you can make your own! If you need to clean pillows, check whether they have removable covers, as it will be easier to wash them separately.

  

3.       Dry your furniture by applying a cloth on it, if you washed it with water and foam. Vacuum it again to remove any dry powder residue. Then, you can start using your furniture again!

Home-made/Natural products tips:

Make your own cleaning product depending on your needs:

-mix lemon with some olive oil or jojoba oil will clean leather sofas, chairs and fabric upholstery. It will also remove undesirable odors

- mix water and vinegar to help you get rid of food stains and/or pet little disaster!

Make your own dry cleaning powder with baking soda and corn starch to remove grease stains on leather and vinyl. After sprinkling the solution on the stains, let it sit for 4 hours. Finally wipe it with a clean cloth.

Everybody can contribute to the environment and make the planet a cleaner and healthier place. Happy Earth Day!

                                                     Content provided by: @tailbase

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Spice up Your Dining Room Furniture

By Towne Home Furnishings

Are you looking to spice up your dining room? You can add character to this space by mixing an array of furniture with a Vintage Casual style. All your pieces will have some type of character to them and they don’t need to be from the same collection! Besides, being too matchy-matchy has nearly become a home décor faux pas!

The dining table

First and foremost, begin with the dining table. The Mestler dining table is a simply shaped table with a beautiful rich bisque finish. Fortunately, the simplicity of the shape allows for the rich finish to take the spotlight. In fact, the beauty of picking a table as such is that you can allow yourself to ramp up the character with the seating.

Seating options

That being said, the second task is that of selecting the dining seating. The Mestler collection offers a variety of seating choices to meet your dining room décor needs. As a first option, the side chair featuring a beautiful distressed antique blue finish, would definitely add some much needed character to the table. However, if you feel that this option is antique blue overkill, you can play with the seating style and add a touch of blue instead. In order to pull this look off, opt for a mix of distressed antique blue chairs, distressed antique white chairs and a tufted light brown upholstered chair. All three dining chairs offer a Vintage Casual style that blends perfectly with the dining table.  

The piece that ties it all together

Lastly, the final touch resonates with the buffet. The Demarlos dining room server features a vintage-inspired style. This piece is bathed in a rich finish with gentle distressed accents and antique hardware. It screams character! Despite exuding character, its relaxed sensibility avoids an overstated look. Aside from being stylish, this server offers plenty of storage space – a must for ladies that love their china!

If you’re an individual who enjoys displaying a little character in your home, then this project is for you! Enjoy mixing and matching your pieces to achieve your desired look!

                                                     Content provided by: @tailbase

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Refreshing Spring

By Towne Home Furnishings

There is nothing more refreshing than springtime! Flowers grow, day length increases and the weather gets warmer…so why not set up a fresh breeze and soothing atmosphere at home while the season is progressing? Spring is a synonym for renewal and the trendy teal color embodies new horizons.

What a perfect time to freshen up your home with the color that looks perfect with your mood! Here are a few suggestions to help you build up a trendy breezy spring house:

1. Not afraid of the big change?

Make the big decision to change your furniture completely! Buy new a sofa and allow yourself, your family and your guests a better comfort while sitting in your living room.

The color teal can definitely relax the atmosphere and brighten your room by giving it a fresh look. Sometimes even a single item like an accent chair can make the difference!

2. Accessorize! Home accents can help while styling your house if you are not ready for a complete make over.  Bring your relaxed mood to another level with decorative pillows, wall art, lamps, rugs, ottomans and so on…

Come on, get inspired by home accents and browse with your emotions. Today is the day you are springing into a refreshing teal!

                                                       Content provided by: @tailbase

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Mix & Match Your Occasional Table

By Towne Home Furnishings

Are you looking for occasional tables, but can’t seem to come up with a vision? If you intend to mix pieces rather than getting matching ones, then you might benefit from a few suggestions!

The Keeblen coffee table has apothecary-inspired details and a distressed finish. The lift-top also gives the table an eclectic feel and spacious drawers for all of your storage needs. While this piece is designed to be placed in front of your living room seating, it can also be used in the entrance of your home or a mudroom. All you need to do is throw a cushion on top of it, and presto! You have a new storage bench for either room. Then, for added visual interest, place some beautiful accent pillows as your final touch!

If you’re a fan of an eclectic style, then you’re in luck. The Keeblen’s style blends well with a number of different looks. Of course, you can always go the simple route and choose the matching end table. However, should you choose another end table, the Marimon is a match made in heaven. The beautiful woven industrial basket metal is topped with a black distressed wood. Its vintage rub-through black blends perfectly with the Keeblen’s grey undertones and black hardware. In addition, the top of the end table has just enough room for a nice lamp or to rest your mug beside a decorative vase.

  

Lastly, to complete the look in your living room, the Vennilux console table happens to be the last piece of the puzzle. Although the shape differs significantly from the others, its similar gray tones bring out the same casual style. This table is versatile in the sense that it can be placed against a wall, or even behind a sofa. Either way looks great! Again, if you prefer matching products, you can check out the associated products from this collection.

Home décor is like an art. Have fun playing with different pieces!

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DIY: Easter Centerpieces

By Towne Home Furnishings

Hop your way into Easter with this simple & charming floral arrangement. The beautiful pastel colors will give your table setting the fresh look it needs this spring. Then, with the same eggs, you can make another thrifty craft that will look just as dainty. Follow these easy steps & you’ll have them done in no time!

Easter Floral Arrangement

What you need:

·         A wire basket

·         Speckled Easter eggs

·         Baby’s breath

·         Vase

1)      Use some speckled Easter eggs, preferably in muted colors. If you do not manage to find any that are already prefabricated, purchase some wooden or foam eggs. Then paint them in muted colors of your choice. As a final touch, use a toothbrush to speckle brown spots.  Make sure to make extra eggs for the following craft!

2)      Start by adding a few eggs in the wire basket. Don’t be afraid to mix the colors for best results! Also, include yellow, as you cannot have a happy event without the color that best represents the emotion! Next, add a glass vase in the center of the wire basket. Then arrange the eggs around the vase according to your liking. Once the wire basket is filled and the vase is surrounded, add water to the vase.

3)      Finally, add some flowers to your arrangement. Most people would consider baby’s breath a “filler” for floral arrangements, however its simplicity will not take away from the beauty of the colorful eggs in the basket. On the plus side, they are also extremely inexpensive, so your arrangement will turn out to be a bargain!

This arrangement has a rustic feel to it and would be showcased beautifully on a rustic dining table. It’s simple yet charming look will complement the natural and organic elements of the wood.

Nestled Easter Eggs

What you need:

·         A cake pedestal

·         Straw

·         Speckled Easter eggs in muted colors

1)      Begin by taking some straw and shaping into a circle. If the straw is being fussy, try to wet it a little to help shape it and stick it together. If it still does not stick together at the ends, a little dab of glue from a glue gun will do just fine.

2)      Place the straw that is now shaped into a nest onto the cake pedestal. Then, take some of the leftover eggs from the previous craft and nestle them into their cozy little nest. This centerpiece would look lovely with a Shabby Chic or Vintage Casual style, as it screams effortless elegance.

There you have it! A table with dainty and egg-citing décor. It’s quite egg-traordinary! 

 Content provided by: @tailbase

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St. Patrick’s Day Gathering

By Towne Home Furnishings

St. Patrick’s day, the patron saints’ feast is coming! No need to be in Ireland or Irish to celebrate it, as March 17th has become a cultural tradition spread all over the world. It is more of a religious holiday in Ireland where St. Patrick was known for converting the people to Christianity. In other countries, this day is a symbol of sharing Irish traditions and heritage. Some people would even say that it is their luckiest day!

Indoor or outdoor- lots of things are planned for gatherings on St. Pat’s! Here are a few ideas you will definitely crush on. No matter what mood you are in; get ready to see everything green!

Our indoors/ in-house suggestions!

If you decide to throw your own St Pat’s party, you will be rewarded as you can make a great party on a budget and enjoy the most of the day! 

Start by turning your house green with a green sofa and homeaccents or get few accessories like green leprechaun’s hat, shamrock!

Once the atmosphere is set, you can now get some drinks and food ready. If you are a great cook, you can attempt to cook some typical Patrick’s Day dinner with colcannon or Irish stew. Whatever you plan to make, just remember that “a room without potatoes is like a body without a soul.” Make sure you have potatoes!

Put some nice Irish music and start dancing!

Our outdoor /outside your house suggestions:

If you live close to the Chicago River, you might see the leftover of the river dyed in green the weekend prior to the D-day.

In the morning, you can start your day on a green foot – drink an Irish coffee and wear green clothes to fit in the Patty’s day mood!

Then, participate in a street parade in the afternoon. Eat the classic corned beef dish!

Continue or finish your day in a pub for a stout and just feel the Irish culture ambiance surrounding you!

So many things can be done to celebrate St. Pat’s but the best part is that you can share this moment gathering with friends and family.

Happy St. Patrick’s day!

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