Protect Your Floors This Holiday Season

The holidays are fast approaching and in no time, friends and family will be descending upon your home for yummy meals and holiday cheer. Get your floors ready for the increase in foot traffic with these quick fixes:

1. Save your floor cleaning for last.

There's a reason why people say "cleaning from top to bottom". Save the mopping, vacuuming, and sweeping for last, that way your floors are nice and clean before people start showing up.

2. Get creative with your coverings.

Place a festive door mat or carpet runner at the front door to absorb slush and snow. You'll be able to keep your freshly cleaned floors clean, as well as prevent slips or falls.

3. Put pads on the legs of furniture.

If you're planning on moving any furniture to make way for more people, consider putting felt pads on the bottom of chairs and couches. Not only will it make it easier to slide the furniture across the room, but it'll protect your carpet or wood floors from scratches.

4. Corral the clutter.

Do you walk into your home, only to trip over stray shoes? Add a boot tray by the door to catch melting snow or mud, that way it's not melting on the floor.

5. Call in the professionals.

There's something to be said about getting your carpets and floors professionally cleaned. If your carpets are looking a little worse for wear, it's probably time to call in the professionals.

Preparing Your Home For Fall

A cold front has moved into the area, just in time for the beginning of Fall. We’re just two days into the new season and already we’re starting to see the leaves fall and the temperatures drop.  Kick off this new season by taking the time now to prepare your home for the cooler temperatures ahead. Taking the time to complete these tasks now will ensure that you and your home will have an easy transition into the coming months.

1.    Inspect the roof, gutters and drainpipes. You may want to hold off until later in the fall (when most leaves have dropped) before cleaning the gutters, but doing a visual inspection now is a good idea. If any branches and leaves fell during summer storms, remove them so they don't cause blockages during autumn rains. Inspecting your roof now will leave ample time to have repairs or a replacement made before winter.

2.    Have your chimney cleaned before you light the first fire. Check your fireplace for residual soot, blockage, or creosote. Schedule to have a professional come out and clean your fireplace before you strike up a match. If you have a wood-burning fireplace, move your firewood to a covered area for easy access. Make sure you inspect for insects before moving the wood, otherwise you’ll run the risk of bringing them into your home.

3.    Tidy up the porch. Falling leaves means lots of yard debris to pick up. Sweep away any dead leaves or branches to create a warm and inviting area to welcome your guests to your home. Add some brightly colored flowers, like mums, to planters by the front stoop, or hang a seasonal wreath on your door. 

4.    Prepare your doorways with rugs and mud trays for dirty shoes.  When the wet weather strikes, make sure your flooring is protected by large rugs and boot trays by entrances. Add a basket or small bins for papers and cold-weather accessories to help keep entrances organized and clutter-free.

5.    Clean, repair, and put away all lawn furniture and equipment. Close down and drain all lawn fountains, sprinklers and hoses before the freezing weather hits. Clean and put away all lawn care tools. After the last use of the year, prep your lawn mower for the winter.

Do you have any other tips to prepare your house for colder weather?

Choosing the Right Flooring for your Home

Choosing the right flooring for your Ball Home can be a tough decision. It has a major role in the look, feel, and the ambiance of a room in your home. Flooring materials are more varied than ever and offers both fashion and function. But all the attractive new options may leave you feeling confused about what best suits your needs. Depending on your lifestyle, budget, and the amount of traffic your floor will endure, will dictate the perfect flooring for you. Below are tips and some questions to ask yourself when choosing the right flooring for your home.

Lifestyle: How you and your family live and use your home is the most significant factor in choosing flooring. If your family has heavy traffic, pets, kids, and is very active – plush carpet may not be ideal. Heavy traffic areas should consider resilient flooring, such as ceramic tile, vinyl, or wood flooring. While there are some pre-finished wood floors that have durable top coatings, laminate floors or ceramic tile get the nod here for being the most durable relative to scratches and wear and tear. If your home has minimal traffic, and you enjoy having softness underfoot, carpeting or area rugs over wood flooring may be ideal for your home.

  

Location in Home: Flooring that is at the entry or foyer of your home should have a “wow” factor, but be durable to outdoor elements. If snow, rain, and mud are a factor in the entry to your home, consider using durable flooring, such as tile or wood. Entry mats outside of the home should be placed to remove the majority of outdoor moisture; this will help keep your floors cleaner too! Flooring in bedrooms, and kid’s rooms should be comfortable for bare feet. Flooring in utility, laundry and bathrooms should be able to resist water. Hardwood and laminate wood flooring in not recommended in areas of high moisture, as warping and damage can occur.

 

Maintenance and Upkeep: It'd be great if there was such a thing as a zero-maintenance floor, but unfortunately, there isn't. Some level of work will be required to keep any type of floor looking good. If you prefer a mop-and-go approach, vinyl may be a better option in some areas of your home to keep cleaning time to a minimum. It’s easy to do a quick sweep of the vacuum over carpets, but lighter colors show more stains than a darker color does.

 

Cost: Flooring is priced per square foot and can add up quickly! All flooring materials have ‘grades’ of quality. Synthetic carpet is cheaper than Berber carpet that contains big and small tufts of pile. The plusher or more durable the carpet – naturally the more expensive it will be. When choosing carpet, don’t forget about the carpet pad beneath. The carpet pad will make your steps more comfortable, and will make your carpet last longer. Tile is very low maintenance and doesn’t usually have to be replaced, unless it cracks. Wood and laminate flooring has become more affordable over the years, due to new products entering the flooring market.

 

The type of flooring you choose for your home depends on a lot of different factors. Doing a little bit of research on the different types of flooring ensures that your floors will stay looking fresh and your home looking new!