107 Everyday Uses for Coconut Oil There’s been a lot of hype about coconut oil lately, and there are so many claims being made that it sounds nothing short of a miracle. Well it’s really not a cure-all, and what works for other people may not work for you, but it still is pretty dandy to have around. With a little bit of resourcefulness and a dash of creativity, you can find over one hundred everyday uses for coconut oil. Want to Try Organic Virgin Coconut Oil for Free? Click Here to Get a FREE Jar of Organic Coconut Oil (while supplies last!) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91. 92. 93. 94. 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100. 101. 102. 103. 104. 105. 106. 107. P.S. By Claire Goodall We Want to Hear from You!
Small Living Room Ideas: 10 Ways to Furnish & Lay Out 100 Square Feet No matter the overall size of your home, you are often working in a limited area within the larger space. In my apartment, the main seating area is a 10x10 square which sort of floats at one end of a long, narrow room and includes this fireplace as the focal point. I created 10 very varied floorplans of furniture groupings and layout options for my space using an online program — it was an interesting and enlightening exercise, one that you may want to try yourself... Previous image Next image 1. The ten layouts are all to the 10x10 foot scale and the one constant is the fireplace on the middle of the right hand side. Clearly, some of these work much better than others in terms of use of space and flow (and several would be discounted immediately for actual room planning), but as an exercise, doing a larger number of mockups without too much concern over realistic use was helpful. Image: Janel Laban
Operation Organize: How to Keep Your Home Sparkling It’s hard to believe that spring is only a few days away. I hope you’re as excited as I am for sunny skies, spring fashion, and fresh, seasonal produce. And then there’s spring cleaning… I know I might be the only one who actually gets excited at the thought of scrubbing and dusting. But even if you’re not as obsessed with organization as I am, spring cleaning doesn’t have to be scary. One of the biggest tips I’ve learned as a lifelong neat freak is that if you keep up with routine chores on a regular basis, things will never get out of hand. A few more tips… If it’s been a while since you’ve done a deep cleaning, it might be worth paying a professional to come in once just to get you started. I hope this post helps you to keep your space spick-and-span. Do you have any spring cleaning tips of your own? Happy cleaning! xo Ilana Team LC Photo: STL Today
First Apartment Decorating Ideas | POPSUGAR Home Sure, graduation and your first job are huge steps towards adulthood, but what's the true sign that you've officially made it? When you get the keys to your very own apartment. Moving into your first (or second) place is a big deal, but we all know it can come at a high price. It was a rude awakening the day we realized our Pinterest-fueled dreams didn't exactly fit our budget. But don't give up hope! 17 Ways To Make Your Bed The Coziest Place On Earth How to Keep Spiders Out of Your House with Essential Oils Spiders have their place in the world, and we can certainly appreciate them for keeping away pests like flies or mosquitos, but that doesn’t mean you want them setting up camp in your bedroom or hiding out in your closet. For a lot of people, the sight of an 8 legged critter scuttling down the wall is enough to send them into an all-out spider hunt until they can relax-or perhaps they just don’t find them pleasant company. Either way, there’s no need to turn to insecticides or pesticides, there’s plenty of natural deternets you can use to keep spiders away from your home. Trust us, there’s more to shudder at in a bottle of chemical pest control spray than at the spider you’re trying to get rid of. Ingredients: Pure essential oil-either peppermint, tea tree, citrus, or neem,-warm water, and dish soap (eco-friendly, please.) Why essential oil: It’s all about the oil here. Why dish soap: The soap breaks apart the oil molecules in the water, making for a more consistant solution Directions
12 Natural Remedies for Household Pests We’ve all been there – the army of ants coming from who knows where, attacking the piece of peanut butter and jelly sandwich you didn’t pick up during lunch the day before. Or that gigantic spider lurking under that pile of laundry in the basement. Then there are those unmentionable little beasts that strike fear into the hearts of every apartment dweller – ROACHES. 1. Leave a few peeled cloves in cupboards, on shelves and in corners to help deter pests from taking up residence. 2. Sprinkle ground cayenne pepper around the the perimeter or anywhere ants are getting in. 3. Ground cinnamon and its essential oil are both effective against pests. 4. Sprinkle the grounds along areas where ants are entering the house or on their nests outside. 5. For moths and other cupboard pests, tape bay leaves to containers or lay them on shelves. 6. Slices on counters or other places will help to repel ants. 7. Lemon and orange essential oils are great pest deterrents. 8. 9. 10. 11. Add tea tree oil 12.
8 Free Ways to Instantly Make Your Living Room Look a Little Bit Better Sometimes it's not about the grand, sweeping changes to a room. Occasionally, just a few smart moves can make a room in your home the tiniest bit better. And what better than a little extra time on the weekend to effect a small but meaningful change? If you're on a budget, you'll appreciate that all these little efforts cost zero dollars. 1. Clean the baseboards, blinds and windows These three small spots accumulate dust, dirt and grime throughout the year, but they're not usually on anyone's list of regular cleaning spots. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. (Image credits: Bethany Nauert)
How To Keep A Clean House & Free Yourself From The Chains Of Drudgery You need to know yourself well enough to know your weaknesses to over come them. Most of us are a bit of many of these personality types. I know I am. Here are some personality types and a few suggestions: The Administrator is a systematic team player. The Creative person will balk at the lists and think they're boring. The Impulsive person REALLY needs this list and schedule! The Independent person needs to focus a bit on organizing with other members of your family. The Insightful person is driven by their mood. The Perfectionist is my personal favorite. The Procrastinators. Result-Oriented people are made for these schedules! Social people are, well, social. And finally, the Undisciplined person is bored by details and can't seem to stay on track. For all personalities: We need to remember that we are not 'cleaning', we are preparing. We will be working less and doing more.
7 Ways You’re Making House Cleaning Harder Than It Has To Be Cleaning the house not on your list of favorite ways to spend your time? You might want to check and see if you're unintentionally making things worse on yourself. From spending more time on cleaning tasks than you need to, to just not being efficient, peruse this list of seven things you could be doing that's making it harder to keep your house clean, and see if you can eliminate one to make cleaning the house easier or faster! 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. How are you making keeping your home clean more difficult than it has to be? (Image credits: Kim Lucian)