Plumb's Blog
Learn about what's new in the Home Furnishings & Interior Design industry.
Most allergy sufferers dread spring as it is the time of year when allergies begin their torment, however many don’t realise that allergies in srping can be triggered by the poor quality of the air in their homes instead of the usual demon, pollen. It is very difficult to get away from pollen but it is very easy to clean out the bad air from your home.
There are a number of kits you can use to test your home for all types of allergy triggers, such as; molds, dust mites and pet dander etc. You may find that a specific type of trigger in your home is the reason for one of many allergies.
Below are some tips on how you help remove some of these triggers that can cause these allergies:
1. Use air purifiers in rooms where most of your time is spent. It is best to use a HEPA (high efficiency particulate arrest) system as they can remove up to 99.97% of microscopic air pollutants, there are many to chose from ranging from £25 to over £100, you can find some by searching “HEPA air purifiers” on Google.
2. Vacuum all carpets, flooring, furniture, curtains and anywhere dust can collect at least once a week. This will remove many pollen spores, dust and other allergens, again a HEPA vacuuum cleaner is best but any vacumm is better than none.
3. Using washable loose covers for you sofa, chairs and cushions is a great way to get rid of dust mite eggs that would otherwise build up in the fixed upholstery.
4. Shower and wash your hair every night before you go to bed. People often bring pollen and other seasonal allergens into their homes on their clothes and their hair. Use shower filters that remove chlorine and other chemicals too.
5. Keep pets off of your bed and out of your bedroom. Sorry, this is a small price to pay for allergy relief. Your bedroom should be a sanctuary from allergens. So tempt your pets to sleep elsewhere.
6. Wash all bedding in 140-degree hot water at least twice weekly to eliminate dust mites, pet allergens and pollen. Use dust mite covers for your mattresses, pillows and comforters to further protect yourself and your family from dust mites.
For more information of Asthma & Allegies please visit the below sites:
I read a great article here about how using Feng Shui in your bedroom can give you a better nights sleep. I’ve got to say, I am very sceptical when it comes to anything like this but I found some of the tips to be mainly common sense. I have however tried a few and something must’ve worked because my wife and I had the best nights sleep ever.
So if you find it difficult falling or staying asleep, waking up in the morning feeling uneasy or irritated then you might as well give some of these tips a try as you have nothing to lose. I think the most obvious tip and the one to have the most effect is this one:
“Cover windows with curtains so that you can have a cocoon-like feeling at night, and they’ll keep the sunlight out in the morning. Being exposed to sunlight first thing in the morning is said to influence your serotonin levels and affect you for the rest of the day. Once you’re ready to wake up, you can easily pull the curtains open and flood your room with natural light.”
Happy Sleeping
Measuring Curtains for a Bay Window
11
2008
We recently received a letter from a very kind gentleman who had made a mistake when placing his order for made-to-measure curtains for his bay window. This was because he did not take into account that each curtain is cut to half the width of the measurement we are given so the curtains will open in the middle. Unfortunately when placing his order he only gave us the width of one of the side windows. This resulted in the smaller curtains only being half the desired length.
Sometimes it can be quite confusing when measuring for difficult windows such as bay windows, which is why we offer a free measuring and fitting service. However the gentleman very kindly gave us the suggestion that we should up-date the measuring guide on our website or add a section to explain the measurements for these more difficult windows. We are doing exactly what he suggested and within the near future we will have a series of measuring guides, from the simple to more intricate window types.
In the mean-time if you need any help or advice on how to measure for curtains, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Alternatively you can request a home visit from one of our consultants who will measure and fit for free.
Make your home more Energy Efficient
28
2008
There’s a really good article here on energy efficiency tips. The one that caught my eye was the tip to close heavey lined curtains as soon as it gets dark.
- Close the curtains to your living room and bedrooms as soon as it gets dark to reduce heat loss through the windows. Heavy or lined curtains are best. Annual savings are approximately £15.
It seems the whole world is on a cost cutting exercise right now. It’s official - the consumer bubble has finally burst and everyone is tightening their belts. That’s easier for some than others after the Christmas binge.
2008 feels like its going to be a year for economising which is no bad thing. In our world of home furnishing that means glamming up your home without going for a total re-furbishment.
You can liven up your dining room just by changing the curtains or transform your living room with new tailored loose covers on your suite. Even wallpapering a feature wall in one of this season’s new large print styles can make an amazing difference.
It all helps with making your home feel fresh and interesting again without spending thousands on big items such as new sofas.
You can also achive the same effect in this roomset with our fabrics without the usual high costs.
Here are a few more money saving tips that can help give a fresh feel to your home in the New Year:
- New table linens can change the look of a room instantly. Check out your local thrift store for tablecloths at a fraction of the price of department store linens.
- Purchase old wooden furniture such as chairs, toy boxes, and shelves at rummage sales and thrift shops. Paint it in fun colors that match your kids’ rooms.
- Paint is cheaper than wallpaper. Use paint effects such as sponge painting, rag rolling, and stenciling to add pattern and interest to your walls. The stencils only cost a few pound. You can use acrylic craft paint instead of the oil based stencil paint because it is brighter and easier to clean. Stencil your designs on tables, bread boxes, shelves and other accessories to match your border.
- Use a medium to dark color palette to paint your room. As a general rule, the darker the color the more distinctive the room will be perceived by others. Marketing experts use this trick all the time - you can too!
- Use a wall to display family photos using frames purchased at thrift stores and garage sales. Paint the frames to match furniture, curtains, etc.
- Plants can make a room come alive… literally! Put them in interesting containers such as baskets and crocks. Don’t buy plants; take clippings and regenerate roots. Ask your friends and family if you can take clippings from their plants in exchange for clippings from yours.
- Spray paint willow branches white and secure them with floral foam in a weighted pot. Place Spanish moss over the foam, and drape the branches with small white lights.
- Instead of buying decorative soaps, either melt soap you already have or buy a block of soap (5.99) from a craft store. After the soap is melted, add to plastic cookie moldings for fun shapes and add things such as dried flowers, small toys, food coloring or fragrant soaps.
Launch of the Plog
9
2008
Welcome to the first post of our Blog, we hope you enjoy! To kick off we thought we’d tell you a bit about ourselves:
Plumbs specialise in traditional Upholstery, Loose Covers and Curtains and offer a free in home measuring, fitting and advice service by a fully trained Plumbs home consultant who lives locally to the customer. They will bring along samples and swatches so that people can match them to their carpets, upholstery and wall colours.
Plumbs have around 150 Home Consultants who will visit the home free of charge throughout the U.K. The Home Consultants can recommend an appropriate window dressing and reupholstery solution and advise on room colour co-ordination and any other home furnishings such as cushion covers and footstools. With over 350 different upholstery fabric designs and colours to choose from, and a range of materials to suit any piece of furniture, the choice is up to you. Please visit our sites here:
Plumbs Covers
Plumbs Upholstery
Plumbs Curtains
For our cusotmers who do not wish a consultant to visit their home, we also run two ecommerce sites that enable customers to buy both Furniture Covers & Curtains online, these are: