Tag: Tips & Tricks

Your kitchen is one of the most important rooms in your house. You turn to it for nourishment, and it often feels like the beating heart that gives your home life. Because it is one of the most used rooms, it tends to get very dirty very quickly. Unlike the living room, where messes are generally small and contained, the kitchen has a way of compounding the mess to the point that you can get trapped beneath it. Your kitchen is actually one of the germiest spots in your home. Cleaning this room often can go a long way toward whole-house cleanliness. A clean kitchen can also do wonders for your mental health.  Incremental cleaning is best when trying to stay on top of a mess, but deep cleaning every once and a while will always be important. Read our Bulbhead guide for the ultimate kitchen cleaning tips below! Tool Time: Everything You Need plus the Kitchen Sink You’re going to need a proper arsenal to attack this mess. If you don’t have some of these already, you can pick them up for a low price. You’ll need a long handle dust mop for starters. This will make it easy to reach those hard-to-reach areas without sacrificing your knees or back. A good cleaning cloth will also be needed in your tool belt for the counters and cabinets. A sponge or scrub brush will be good for the harder to clean stains that might be caked onto your stove or sink. Have a broom or vacuum nearby for a thorough sweep of the floor before you wash it. Also, consider a mini razor scraper for your countertops and stovetop. If you are not familiar with this tool, it is essentially a razor blade with a handle designed to help scrape grime and residue from your glass stovetop without scratching the surface like you would using steel wool. First Things First You have to start somewhere. We recommend cleaning up all the so-called clutter. This usually consists of anything that doesn’t belong in the kitchen, to begin with. Since your kitchen is the heart of your home, mail, keys, and wallets all seem to wind up living on your counter or center island. If the junk mail is hanging out with the pots and pans on the disk rack, now is the time to move them. It’s fine, but if you want to really make a change in your kitchen’s appearance, you should consider a countertop organizer or a big bowl in the center of your island for the random things you have in your hand when you walk in the door. For all the plates, bowls, and utensils that might be taking up space on your counter, go ahead and toss them directly into the sink or dishwasher if you have one. Plug your sink and fill it with hot water and dish soap. Let everything soak there while you tend to the other parts of the kitchen. Use the side with the garbage disposal if it’s an option. When you are done cleaning, the grime on your dishes will have loosened enough to come right off and slide down the drain. Getting Trashed Throw away any trash that is lying around. Countertops can get covered with paper towels, empty bags, old receipts, and a plethora of other miscellaneous things that were left there during the cooking process. Grab it all and toss it into a trash bag. Grab anything that might need to be tossed from the cupboards and pantry as well. Don’t take the bag out yet; you will want to keep it around for when you empty the vacuum and the food from the refrigerator you don’t want. Top to Bottom Cleaning top to bottom is one of the most effective ways to polish a space. A top to bottom clean is designed to make it so that you are not cleaning the same area twice. If you wash your floor and then move on to the top of your cabinets, the dust from up there will land on your newly cleaned floor. Avoid this by cleaning top to bottom. For your kitchen, this means starting at the kitchen stove hood, top of the cabinets, top of the refrigerator, and the ceiling fan. All of these places are hot spots for dust that often get overlooked because they are so high up. Do the same for the walls while you are up there. Get the caked-on dust off, and then wash with a damp cloth or rag. Smoke from whatever you have cooked for dinners past can leave stains up on the walls or ceiling that will become permanent if not cleaned off. A gentle cleanser or some warm soapy water will do for these areas. Cabinets Once you have wiped down the tops of everything, make your way down toward the countertops by scrubbing your cabinets. These are fingerprint magnets since family members are always opening and closing them with food-covered hands while they are cooking their favorite meals.  To do this, use a hot sponge that you heat up in the microwave and put a small amount of citrus-based cleaner (look for ones with lemon juice to help eliminate odors). This will rip through grease and any other cabinet stains. Small Appliances Now that you have made it to the countertops, start cleaning the small appliances that live there. You don’t need to get crazy here, but use this time to give them a wipe down to remove some of the dirt and food splash that might be stuck on them. Make sure to unplug these before cleaning. This is a good chance to get the crumbs that have been building up inside the microwave or toaster. In fact, you should probably be cleaning that toaster more than you have. Toaster fires are more common than you think, and a buildup of crumbs is one of the biggest causes. Run a vinegar cycle through the coffee maker for a quick clean and steam the inside of the microwave with vinegar, too. Avoid putting vinegar on anything that is stainless steel to protect the shine. Big Appliances The natural next step is, of course, bigger appliances. Grab your oven cleaner and apply it while you start out on the fridge. We could spend a whole article covering how to clean your fridge, but for the purposes of this piece, we will keep it simple. Just wipe down the doors and handles and spend a second opening each and wiping the tops and bottoms. Dirt and grime can build up in the services of the rubber-encased magnetic strips. Sort through the food that you don’t need and put the rest on the counter. Take out the newly empty shelves and wipe them down or wash them in the part of the sink that isn’t filled with your dishes. Wipe down the entire interior of the fridge and then replace everything. Go back to the stove and finish wiping off all the grease that the oven cleaner has dislodged. Move to the stovetop and remove any burner covers or pieces that allow for it. Clean them and wipe down the space between burners that might be covered in sauce or fluids from dinners past. This is a great time to whip out that razor we mentioned if something has crusted onto the surface. Counter(tops) Argument Almost done! Grab the all-purpose cleaner and get to work on the countertops. Use a microfiber cloth if you have it. Work in sections and remove everything that is on the counter so that you have a clear area to attack.  Buff the counter after if you really want to make it shine. Once done, put the newly cleaned items you removed back where they belong. This is a good time to reexamine what you can move from the counter to the cabinets. Counters tend to get cluttered with spices, cooking sprays, and other oft-used items that we are too lazy to put back in the cabinet. Reconsider what deserves to be on your countertop. Floorida Panthers We’re in the endgame now! Wipe the remaining low drawer cabinets just like you did the high ones if you haven’t already or if they need another wipe after something from the countertop landed on them. Get the vacuum ready or pull out the broom and get to work. If you are vacuuming, use an extension to hit those hard-to-reach areas that are hideouts for crumbs and dropped food. If you are able, use a towel to clean the baseboards too. Clean baseboards make a world of difference in brightening up a room. Break out the mop and clean it in sections. Let That Sink In Don’t think we forgot! Clean the dishes or put them in the dishwasher and then scrub the basin with some steel wool to get rid of the grime or an SOS pad if you have one. Scrub the faucet, fill the sink again, and add some bleach. Let it sit for a few minutes before draining and wiping one more time. A Spring (Cleaning) in Your Step Cleaning is a chore, but it doesn’t have to be a chore. Play some upbeat music, queue up your favorite podcast, and have fun with your cleaning session. Then, when you’re done, take a moment to pat yourself on the back.

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Furnishing your home is one of the best parts of being a homeowner. The worst part is, of course, hosting your inlaws. But getting to design the look and feel of your home is an activity you should take pride in. It is a way to let your personality shine through and, when properly done, can make any sized house or apartment the envy of your friends and family. Once you have nailed your aesthetic, you have to decide how it will all come together. Think of your home floor plan as a gallery of artwork; would you place the Mona Lisa in the back corner of The Louvre? Or the Statue of David on the front lawn? How you arrange your furniture pieces should be intentional and functional (with a dash of inspiration).  Every room should be done with equal care, but few rooms will get more visitors than your living room. Arranging this area with our tips in mind will make your living room will make it a place where everyone wants to, well, live! Fun With Feng Shui Feng shui is a Chinese philosophy regarding the practice of arranging furnishings, buildings, and room layouts in a way that creates harmony and balance with the natural world. The idea of feng shui comes from the Taoist belief in “chi.” Chi is believed to be the life force that inhabits all things. Like the yin and yang, chi is about balance. Feng shui is the practice of balancing yin and yang to improve the flow of chi in a room. To do this, you must move and arrange furniture in ways that will allow chi to flow through a room so it can create positive energy that will benefit your health, improve your luck, and improve your relationships.  The practice of feng shui dates back thousands of years. Some point to ancient Chinese gravesite placement as an example of feng shui. Today, people incorporate feng shui when decorating and arranging their homes. Rules of feng shui dictate where to place fixtures in relation to doorways or openings to make sure chi has the ability to enter and exit a room. Feng shui has essential principles: the commanding position, the Bagua, and the five elements. Your Wish Is My Commanding Position The commanding position puts you in a position to readily deal with whatever life throws at you. Translation: you can easily see the entry to your room. This is the spot that is furthest from the door and diagonal to it. Incorporating this in a room would mean that wherever you spend the most time in your room, that should be in the commanding position. Paper or Plastic Bagua Bagua means “eight areas.” A Bagua energy map helps divide your space into zones that represent different life circumstances such as wealth, family, and career. You can use a Bagua map to analyze your home and make decisions on your room arrangements. Earth, Wind, and Fire (and Wood and Metal) “Do you remember the 21st night of September?” Probably not unless something awful happened. The easiest way to change the feng shui in a given room is to incorporate one of the five elements or remove one. Each element invokes a different mood, and balancing these will improve the flow of that much sought-after positive chi.   Planning Ahead It might be tempting to just order all the things you need ahead of time and figure it out when they all arrive, but try to resist the urge. The best thing you can do for yourself is taking the time to plan ahead and really think about what pieces of furniture you need and, more importantly, how you will be using your living room. Will you be hosting often, or will you be raising your kids here? Is the room for lounging with a book or the ultimate media viewing experience? Really think about the furniture you will need in here before settling on the ones that you love. What should the space feel like? Should it be cool and elegant or playful and cozy? All of these questions are important to consider before you start piecing together the living room layout and arranging your furniture. Once you have them answered, it’s time to choose a focal point. Be Vocal About Your Focal Every room has a focal point. It might be a high ceiling with a chandelier or a fireplace; whatever the case may be, your eye will be drawn there. If you have a natural one, great. If not, create some visual interest with your TV or an area rug if you are choosing to keep your entertainment room separate. Don’t Be Averse To Converse Much like your focal point, the conversation area of your living room is central to its seating arrangement. Any time you host, your living room will be the main point of conversation for you and your guests, so you want to make sure it is conducive to conversation. A sofa with two accent chairs and a table in the middle is a classic setup or just four accent chairs grouped around a table. A sectional sofa that is big enough for a half dozen people will also work well to maximize comfort, especially if you still want a TV focal point that people won’t have to crane their necks to see. If your living room is larger, you might want to consider two conversation areas or one conversation area and one TV area. BaLance Bass  When it comes to arranging the living room, you want everything to be N*SYNC. But seriously, balance is key when arranging your furniture. You need to take into account the size and placement of all your pieces. You want a variety of sizes, and you want to place them in a way that promotes symmetry. Always scale your pieces to the size of the room. Furniture that is too big in a small room or vice versa will absolutely throw off the chi. Make sure your patterns and texture match, too. It can help to pull out some graph paper and a pencil to create a fully accurate living room furniture layout. Try creating symmetry with the seating area. A mirror image look with two identical sofas or a loveseat will draw people in. If that isn’t an option, go for counterbalancing by placing two small armchairs opposite the couch or a properly sized coffee table. Go With the Flow You have to consider the traffic flow of your room when arranging the furniture. Think hard about the way people are going to be moving through this space. Keep in mind the entrance and exit and make sure there is a clear line between the two.  The space between the couch and coffee table should be at least two feet. You don’t want it to block off movement and don’t want people tripping when they move through the space. For the areas without furniture (thoroughfares), allow for three feet of space. The Space Between Leaving space between your wall and your furniture can create a sense of intimacy and actually make the room look bigger.  Of course, this won’t work if your living room space is very limited, but if you have the ability to create some room, take it. It will allow for great chi flow around your furniture. If you have a narrow living room or a small living room, think about storage solutions to help create more open floor space while still providing enough sitting area for your guests. Floating shelves can take items off the floor. And ottomans with removable tops can hide board games and blankets. Art Garfunkel Choosing the right art for your living room is a crucial part of arranging your living room. This extends to mirrors and sculptures, too, not just posters and prints. Take into account the available wall space at your disposal and begin thinking about what size pieces will fit where. Always match the proportion of your furniture. If you have a long couch, you will want to match it with a wide portrait or print. Make sure the art is showcased by the correct lighting. This could include sconces, tall floor lamps, or even a full moon lamp. Never Table the Discussion Make sure you have tables in arm’s reach of every seat in your living room. Whether it is a side table or your coffee table, you and your guests should never have to stand up and walk to reach their drinks or food. You want an end table that is almost the same height as the chair it is closest to. If that is not possible, at least make sure that it is lower than the furniture. The coffee table should follow the same rules. Bulbhead’s Bright Ideas  No matter how you decide to arrange your living room, Bulbhead is your home for bright ideas. We have everything you need to make your home the place to be and the envy of your friends and family. From a chair support cushion to cleaning supplies, Bulbhead has it all. Check us out for more tips, tricks, and products!

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When trying to decide how to prepare your favorite recipe, it can be hard to decide what to cook it with. There are so many types of cookware to choose from it can be downright overwhelming. Cast iron, stainless steel, aluminum, nonstick, enameled. All of these options have their own pros and cons, so choosing the right one can be a challenge.  But one type of cookware stands above the rest: Copper. Copper cookware is maybe the best, most effective, and definitely the most lustrous cookware available on the market today.  So, if you have been trying to decide if you should pull the trigger and purchase a copper pot, pan, or even a whole kitchen set, read on for the six benefits of copper cookware! Cook Like the Egyptians  You may think the world revolves around you, but you are not the first person to consider cooking with copper! Far from it, in fact. While it is hard to pin down when exactly the material became popular, copper cookware pieces date back as far as 9,000 BC.  The use of copper became more prevalent during ancient Egypt. The Egyptians replaced stone with copper as the material of choice when making cooking vessels and tools. Copper was used as water and oil containers and was even crafted to be used in medical practices. Even back then, the Egyptians understood the antimicrobial properties of copper and used it to sterilize wounds and drinking water.  If you think of France when you see copper cookware, you wouldn’t be wrong. Mauviel, the leader in copper cookware, was founded in Normandy in 1830. Other famous brands followed suit and set up shops in France, selling beautiful copper cookware to cooks at home and abroad.  One such cook was Julia Child. After singing the praises of copper’s heat distribution, copper cookware became popular in American kitchens. Long before the renaissance that copper experienced in the States, however, a gentleman by the name of Paul Revere was smithing copper near his Boston home.   Copper Linings Playbook Copper can become toxic in high doses and, while it is rare, it has led to a rise in lining copper with tin and other materials. With that in mind, there are a few twists on classic copper cookware that you should be aware of as you start to shop for your next set of pots and pans. The Tin Man Lining copper cookware in tin is a technique that has been used for hundreds of years to prevent copper from seeping into our food. This is because tin bonds chemically with copper and is very malleable, making a beautiful lining. It also doesn’t react to acid and is relatively nonstick.  Tin linings do eventually wear out due to their low melting point. Some people will send their cookware to be relined, and some companies that sell these items will provide a refinishing service when their pieces wear out. Be Steel, My Beating Heart Because of tin’s low melting point, stainless steel has become the favorite choice for lining copper cookware. Not only is stainless steel more cost-effective, but it is also more durable.  Copper can be lined with stainless steel or be used as a base on a stainless steel piece. A base plate made from copper is fused to the steel body in these cases through impact bonding. The high conductivity (more on that soon) makes the pan or pot heat more evenly and reduces hotspots.  Since these are more hard-wearing than tin, you can use metal utensils without the fear of scratching your copper investment.  Food loves to stick to stainless steel, though, so keep that in mind. Uncommon, but worth mentioning, if the steel lining decouples from its copper shell, there is nothing you can do to easily fix it.  Try Tri-Ply Advances in the manufacturing process have made it possible to combine different materials resulting in cookware that has three layers. These layers have their own unique properties. The copper layer allows the outer surface to heat quickly and evenly. The aluminum layer provides a lightweight core that retains heat. Lastly, the stainless steel layer offers a highly durable cooking surface. No Coats or Jackets You can also go for a copper pot without a coating. These pots are perfect for making jams if you’re into that kind of thing. If you have a sweet tooth and consider yourself a bit of a pastry chef, these uncoated pots are best for making syrups, caramels, chocolates, and other sauces due to the heat conductivity of pure copper.  Bare copper is actually the preferred cookware when making jams since there is enough sugar in a jam to keep the acid from having a reaction with the metal. Bare copper is also great for eggs due to the sulfur atoms in the egg whites that resist bonding too tightly.  If using bare copper, make sure to stir with a wooden spoon since metal ones will scratch the shine of the copper. Copperware Are You Now That I Need You?  Now that we have gone over the history and variations of copper cookware, let’s start to list some of the benefits of these wonderful kitchen classics. 1.) Getting Hot in Here! There is probably no better conductor of heat available in your kitchen than copper cookware (unless you have some silver cookware laying around). Copper is a conductor of heat and one of the best at that! Copper heats up very quickly and does not require any preheating like cast iron.  If you are cooking with copper, you should have your food ready to go before you turn on the burner. When you adjust the dial on your stove, the temperature of the cookware will change quickly. This is a very helpful feature for certain cooking methods like browning. It also makes for faster cook times and more efficient meal preparation.  Copper cookware also cools incredibly fast. When you take the piece off the burner, the food inside will cool quicker, allowing for more control over the food you prepare. 2.) Even Stevens Because copper is such a great conductor of heat, it also cooks food evenly. This is key when trying to avoid those pesky “hot spots” you might find in your other cookware. Heat is evenly distributed uniformly through the cookware base. This results in an even cook that is perfect for searing or any dish that requires a specific consistency. Look to copper for an even cook, every time. 3.) Here for the Long Run Copper cookware is durable and should last for several years. When it is lined with other metals, it can be one of the most robust cookware options on the market. As mentioned, some copper cookware even comes with a refinishing service for when it starts to show signs of wear and tear. From the jump, copper cookware is more substantial and solidly constructed than most other kitchenware you will come across.  The weight of copper cookware is also of note. Copper pots and pans will sit securely on a stove and are also light enough to be picked up when filled with food and water. 4.) Stove Appeal Speaking of sitting securely on a stove, copper cookware is so beautiful you will want it in a place of pride. Most people will hide their pots and pans inside the stove or buried in a cabinet, and you might think you will do the same with a copperware set. But when you see these pieces’ beautiful gloss and shine, you will want to have them out in the open.  Copper cookware has a shine that begs to be hung up or placed on top of your stove. Having these works of art on display will make your kitchen feel like a five-star French restaurant. They will also be a great conversation piece when hosting your next dinner party.  The aesthetics of a copperware set has value in and of itself and can have the added benefit of making you want to cook more often and better so that you live up to the quality of your set. 5.) A Safer Non-Stick People are starting to become aware of the dangers associated with non-stick pans and pots. Kitchenware labeled “non-stick” is sometimes coated with perfluorochemicals (PFCs) which can negatively affect your body’s natural systems and pose health risks. PFCs can also contaminate the environment.  Copper cookware does not rely on PFCs to remain non-stick. Instead, copper can be infused with tin to give your pot or pan an ideal non-stick surface without added chemicals. 6.) Hi Gene! And anyone else reading that may be wondering about copper cookware’s hygiene. As mentioned earlier, copper is antibacterial, and bacteria cannot survive on its surface. Copper is toxic to these microorganisms but non-toxic (in low amounts) to humans. CoppOR Nah? So, those are the main benefits of owning copper cookware. Copper cookware is a beautiful addition to any kitchen and will make you the envy of all your foodie friends. With its ability to cook food quickly and evenly, copper cookware should be considered the next time you are in need of a kitchenware update.

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