Give each room its own color personality while ensuring a cohesive feeling by using a single hue as a theme that runs throughout.

Select Your Favorite: If you love lots of color, you can still achieve flow by choosing one hue to be a unifying thread that runs from room to room. Usually this unifying element is the woodwork — baseboards, door and window frames, and molding at the ceiling.

The connection can be more subtle, too, such as a recurring color in the fabrics, accessories, and furniture in each room.
You also can achieve a feeling of continuity by limiting your palette to two or three colors that you use in different amounts and applications throughout the house. Each color can be used in different values and intensities to produce a wide range of effects.

Crosslink with Color

New houses often feature kitchens and great-rooms that connect physically and visually, separated only by a partial wall or counter. To paint each area a different color, use the partial wall or peninsula as the dividing line.

Unify the two areas by using the same trim color throughout, and reinforce that connection by bringing touches of each area’s color into the other. For a smooth transition, choose two colors that are closely related and similar in value.

What’s Underfoot

If you paint adjoining rooms in strongly contrasting colors, connect them by using flooring or area rugs that include both colors.

The wall and rug hues don’t have to match exactly; one can be slightly darker or lighter than the other, and the eye will still perceive them as closely related.

Unify with White Trim

Painting all of the trim throughout the house the same color of white is a no-fail way to create a sense of flow from room to room.

There are many shades of white, so select wall colors first, then choose a white that works with all of them. A sour-cream white contrasts crisply with bold colors and harmonizes with softer ones.

In developing the color scheme for your house, select colors that create the mood you would like to achieve. Link an area in your home with wallpaper to emphasize the area’s openness and the way the spaces flow into one another.

White trim ensures that these spaces look connected, and reinforces the effect with subliminal cues or markers to make people feel anchored as they move through your house.

Choose a Limited Palette

Open floor plans, whether in a suburban home, a condominium, or an apartment, allow architects to maximize the feeling of space without increasing square footage. That doesn’t mean you have to paint all of the connecting spaces one color.
Give each area its own personality and achieve a unified look by choosing two or three colors that work well together and use them in varying amounts from room to room.

Try and Try Again: Getting just the right color may require several trips to the paint store until you get the right shade. It’s important that the wall colors in adjoining spaces be of equal intensity so they balance visually. In the upholstery, rugs, and accessories, however, the color scheme can play out in a range of tones to create variety and interest.

Play with Light

It’s a simple fact that light changes the appearance of any given color.

Take the same can of yellow paint and apply it to two rooms, one that receives little natural light and another that’s flooded with sunshine, and it will look like two different colors.

To achieve a feeling of continuity and still give each room a subtly different feeling, exaggerate this effect: Choose two closely related hues and apply the lighter one to the sunniest space, imbuing it with a sunny feeling all day long. This works well for L-shape rooms, where one leg of the L is the living area and one leg the dining area.

Give Your Home Some Lovin’ Too!

Feeling the Urge to Clean?

Look at each room and identify specific tasks. Make a list of cleaning priorities. Share the fun with family members.

• Kitchen: wash and wax wood floors and mop vinyl floors. Clean out refrigerator and pantry. Change shelf-liners. Straighten junk drawer Wipe down cabinet.
• Bathroom: Use lint-free cloths or a squeegee to wash windows inside and out. Dust the sill. Vacuum the window well.
• Window Treatments: Vacuum draperies. Wash blinds. Replace heavy drapes with lightweight or sheer curtains.
• Furniture: Polish furniture, wash upholstery, vacuum between cushions. Clean behind and under sofas and cabinets.
• Closets: Give old clothes and furniture to charity. Vacuum floors. Dust shelves. Hang cedar blocks to freshen the areas.

Cleaning

• To dust papered walls, tie a dustcloth over your broom and work from the top down.
• To remove pencil marks and other non-greasy spots from non-washable papers, use an art-gum eraser or a slice of fresh rye bread.
• To remove greasy spots, crayon marks and food stains, apply a paste of cleaning fluid and fuller’s earth, cornstarch or whiting. Let dry and brush off. Repeat the treatment until the spot is gone.
• Wipe off fingerprints with a damp cloth, then sprinkle the moist area with fuller’s earth. Let it dry and then brush it off.
• To prevent splash marks when you’re washing baseboards or other woodwork, mask wallpaper with a wide ruler, venetian blind-slat or a piece of rigid plastic.
• When you save scraps of wallpaper for patching, tack them to a wall in the attic or closet. When you use them for repairs, they won’t look so brand new.

Cleaning Windows

Wash windows on a cloudy, but not rainy day. Working in direct sunlight causes streaks because the cleaning solution dries before you can wipe it off. This is the best time to vacuum the frames and sills. Cool, clear water is the choice of most professional window washers. If windows are very dirty you can add 2 to 3 tablespoons of vinegar per gallon of water. Use horizontal strokes on the inside and vertical on the outside so you know which side the streaks are on. for drying windows, a wad of crumpled newspaper works just as well as expensive paper towels. Wear rubber gloves to keep your hands free of ink.

• If necessary, dust off the window and sill with a clean paintbrush. Excess dust and water can cause mud.
• Use a professional-type squeegee available for about $20 at a janitorial supply store. Forget the cheap brands you find at the grocery store. They are not as effective, and you have to replace the whole thing once you get a nick in the blade.
• Don’t clean windows while they are in direct sunlight. Your cleaning solution will dry too fast.
• Dip a 100% cotton cleaning cloth in your solution. Wring out the excess and then wipe the window to loosen dirt.
• Grab your squeegee. Start each squeegee stroke in a dry spot. Wipe a strip with a cleaning cloth to get started.
• Squeegee in a pattern from top to bottom, or side to side. If you clean the outside and the inside, Work top to bottom on the inside and side to side on the outside. By doing this, you’ll be able to identify which side any streaks left behind are on.
• Keep the squeegee blade dry by wiping it with a cleaning cloth after each stroke.
• Replace the blade when necessary. Even the smallest nick can cause streaking.
• Don’t have a squeegee? Use newspaper for drying freshly washed windows. It’s cheaper and leaves no lint behind.

Cleaning Window Sills

To remove spots rub the surface with rubbing alcohol.

Clean Countertops

First remove everything. Then vacuum or dust off all crumbs. Then wet a white nylon backed sponge with dishwashing detergent solution and use the sponge side to go over the counter, including the backsplash. Let the solution set on the surface for a few minutes to soften hard droplets. Then, use the nylon side of the sponge as necessary to remove any stubborn stuff. Buff dry with a clean, lint free towel. If your countertops have lost their luster, try furniture polish or club soda to give a

Clean Doors Give a Great Impression

If company is coming, clean and wash the doors in your house. No one knows why, but your whole house looks good. Scrub the door from top to bottom with a rag and soapy water, using a scrub brush for especially tough spots. While you’re at it, wipe down the top edge of the frame. With all the dust that collects up there, it probably looks like velvet. Along with the upper side of a ceiling fan, the top of the door is one of the most missed spots in the home.

Removing Tar Spots

Use paste wax to remove tar from floors. This works on shoes too.

Removing Candle Wax

• For spilled wax on carpets and upholstery, put a brown paper bag over the dried wax and run a hot iron over it. The bag will absorb the hot wax.
• Dried wax on wood floors can be removed by softening the wax with a hair dryer, then removing with paper towels. Wash spot down with a combination of vinegar and water.

Cleaning Glass Table Tops

• Clean by rubbing with a little lemon juice, dry with paper towels and polish with newspaper for a sparkling table.
• Toothpaste will remove small scratches from glass.

Cleaning Marble

To remove stains, sprinkle salt on a fresh cut lemon. Rub very lightly over stain. Do not rub hard or you will ruin the polished surface. Wash off with soap and water.

Polishing Furniture

• Carved furniture- dip old toothbrush into furniture polish and brush lightly.
• To remove polish build-up mix one cup water and one cup vinegar. Dip soft cloth in the mixture and wring out before wiping furniture. Dry immediately with another soft, dry cloth.

Cleaning Acoustical Tiles

Clean with the dust-brush attachment of your vacuum cleaner. Remove stains and dirt with mild soap and water. Don’t let the tiles get too wet.

Removing Water Stains

• If the fabric is non-washable, gently scratch off the stain (which is made up of mineral deposits) with your fingernail. Still there? Hold the spot over a steaming teakettle until well-dampened. As it dries, rub the stain, working from its outer edges toward the center.
• Remove hard-water stains from glasses and bottles by rubbing them with steel wool dipped in v
• Cover hard-water stains on bathroom fixtures with a paste of baking soda and vinegar. Then drape with a terry clot towel and let stand for about an hour. Wipe off, rinse and dry.

Cleaning Wicker

Remove dust from wicker by vacuuming with the dust brush attachment. To remove grime, wash with a solution of 2 tablespoons ammonia per gallon of water. use a paintbrush or a toothbrush to get at hard-to-reach places. Rinse well. Air dry in the shade.

Cleaning Miniblinds

• Slip your hands into a pair of socks for cleaning the miniblinds. Dip one hand into a bucket of warm, soapy water and hold the blinds between your two hands. Rub back and forth until you’ve cleaned the whole surface. Then reverse sides so the dry sock dries the blinds.
• Wipe miniblinds with damp fabric softener sheets to eliminate static that collects dust. The same trick works for your T.V. screen.

Indoor Plants

Remember, plants get dusty too. You can clean small plants in the kitchen sink, and larger ones enjoy a shower in the bathroom.

Doorknobs

Always disinfect doorknobs, switchplates and telephones. They collect germs from everyone who touches them.

Clean Mirrors

Remove hair spray from a mirror with a little rubbing alcohol on a soft cloth.

Linen Closets

Linen closets can be a jumbled mess, especially when you have children making their own beds. Organize bed linens in sets. Fold flat sheet in half twice lengthwise, then fold fitted sheet the same way and lay it on top of the flat folded sheet. Add one or two pillow cases folded long ways and roll them all together into a neat roll. Whoever is making the bed can grab only a roll instead of rummaging around and making a mess.

Removing Crayon Marks

Remove crayon marks from painted walls by scrubbing with toothpaste or an ammonia-soaked cloth. Rinse and dry.

Removing Heel Marks

Take pencil eraser and rub them off.

Removing Blood Stains

1. Put a paste of water and cornstarch, cornmeal or talcum powder on fresh spots. Let dry and brush off.
2. Cover fresh or dried stains with meat tenderizer and add cool water. After 15 to 30 minutes, sponge off with cool water.
3. Fresh blood on leather? Dab on a little hydrogen peroxide. After it bubbles, wipe it off.
4. If you get blood on fabric, quickly wet a long piece of white cotton thread with saliva and place it across the spot. The thread will absorb the blood.

Dusting Tip

Spray broom or dust mop with you favorite furniture polish and the dust and dirt will be easier to collect when you sweep.

Quick fix for shiny wood floors.

Put a piece of waxed paper under your dust mop. Dirt will stick to the mop and the wax will shine your floors.

Update Your Bathroom for under $50

You don’t need to rip out walls or install new plumbing to give your bathroom a fresh new look. Here are five simple ideas for under $50.

• New towels: It’s not necessary to buy a whole new set of towels. Buy a new color of hand towels or washcloths that complement your existing color palette. Roll them up and place them standing up in a basket for a colorful and interesting accent. Try incorporating several colors already in your bathroom, or go with all one color.
• Frame your mirror: If you have a basic mirror on the wall behind the sink, jazz it up by framing it. Cut your choice of molding to fit around the mirror as a frame and paint it. Use neutral colors or a brushed gold or silver. Attach the molding to the mirror with liquid glue. Voila! You have a “new” mirror.
• Paint: Paint your bathroom in a fresh new color. Your tiles don’t have to dictate the color you select, but they should complement each other. You would be amazed at the fun you can have with your existing tiles. If you have lime green tiles from the 1950s, paint the walls in a pale yellow. If you have a dark bathroom with black or white tiles, brighten it up by painting the walls sage green.
• New shower curtain: A new shower curtain for under $20 with unique shower hooks can make a big difference. If your bathroom is small, using a clear shower curtain or one in the same color as the tub will give the illusion of a bigger bathroom.
• New accessories:
  • Buy an inexpensive bowl and fill it with sample-size toiletries for your guests.
  • Try out a few colored soaps to spruce up the sink.
  • Buy candles in your selected color palette and place in a grouping on a shelf.
  • Buy a new soap dispenser and matching wastebasket.
  • Add a small glass vase with fresh flowers. It’s always a nice touch!