Preparing To Paint: Interior

Preparing To Paint:

Interior Walls/Surfaces

Unless your structure is New and Freshly Primered, you will have as much Prep Work as you will have Painting! As a consequence, this is the reasoning behind most homeowners choosing to Pay Professional Painters when requiring Home Interior Painting! Exterior (Building) Painting is a World of Its Own, which I won’t detail here.

Your Prep Work will include:
Removing all Furniture
Removing all non-essential and non-industrial light sources, such as chandeliers, ornate light fixtures, ceiling fans (if you are painting ceiling), etc.
Removing all switch plates/outlet plates (turn off Power firstly)
Dusting walls by sweeping with clean/”like-new”, stiff broom
Possibly sanding uneven surfaces
Patching and curing holes
Sealing cracks

Failure to remove debris on walls, uneven surfaces, and brushes/sprayer with remains of old paint and dirt are the main causes for paint peeling.

Now that half of your Prep Work is Complete:

It is time to wash your walls.

Firstly, spot check your wall for any stains or smudges. A dampened “paste of Baking Soda and Water” on a clean lint-free cotton cloth will remove most marks. Do not rub too roughly, that you remove paint to the bare wall. Anything that cannot simply be rubbed off of your wall should probably be primmered or spot primmered prior to project.

Washing the Wall really entails wiping the wall down (from top to bottom) with a damp (natural material) cloth- Not soaking your walls! The point is to remove any debris that your broom did not pick-up yet, keeping your wall relatively dry.

After “Washing The Walls” you are now ready to mask off your windows, door frames, baseboards, sconces, and any other detailed item that will not be painted –or- will be painted at a later time. Remember to have ceiling somewhat clean irregardless of whether or not ceiling is to be painted, as dust, cobwebs, and particles can drift down onto your freshly painted walls.

Follow this step with the covering of the Floor, unless you have pulled-up old carpet or tile before hand. Paint will follow gravity and drip onto flooring (either from walls, brushes, or the unfortunate spilling of paint buckets). Knowing that you are painting over a drop cloth is much more settling to your mind than worrying about your flooring.

Drop Cloths:

Any Furniture, Appliance, Carpet, or Flooring must be covered with some sort of Drop Cloth prior to Painting!

You will have an array of choices in this area. I like to think in term of the type of Paint, when considering drop cloths. Additionally, budget is a factor as well as the color of paint also playing a part in your drop cloth purchase. How often are you to paint? Can you pass-on the painting accessories to a neighbour, relative, or charity home remodeling group? Or, should you simply avoid purchasing a professional drop cloth in light of using something already in your possession?

Being concerned with the environment, I rather avoid using plastic, whenever possible. Canvas drop cloths are more expensive yet can last nearly a lifetime, with proper care.

• 1st Canvas
• 2nd Assorted Cloth
• 3rd Paper

*The last two I would suggest: Paper/Poly, and finally Plastic





All content by Europa Pirate

MakeUp and Body Product Care

Product Care

In the United States, standards on Cosmetics shelf-life are usually much less than those in Europe. Furthermore, shipping the products to their "Retail destination" can result in temperature fluctuations, whose outcome may be unseen to the retail consumer.

Reliable Manufactures selling to their department store/salon clients will predetermine and guard against nearly all shipping dilemmas, using only reliable Trucks/Ships/Airline Companies with temperature-controlled cargo containers. Do not support businesses or individuals unaware of poor shipping and handling practices. And, do not purchase any Make-up/Cosmetic, Prescription Medicine, Over-the-Counter Med, or Topical/Body Product placed in direct sunlight or adjacent to any heat source!

The easiest tip you will ever get regarding home beauty/body care is this-

Once you have opened, used, touched

“the Product”:

You will have 6mo-1year Use/Lifespan

Sealed, Unopened Products

• may be stored inside an airtight plastic bag, in their original packaging, in your moisture-controlled refrigerator!
  

For cleaning/renewing make-up here are some tips:

• Use applicator, whenever possible (instead of using finger)



• Clean Eye Shadow by gently removing a layer of powder/cream with clean tissue or unused cotton swab



• Wipe Lipsticks off onto a (lint free) tissue once a week, removing film as if you were applying lipstick to your own lips



• Smudge Eyeliner/Lipliner onto clean tissue regularly (in same cleaning manner as Lipstick)



• Sharpen Make-Up routinely, prior to and after using



• Wipe the solid surfaces of your Make-Up Containers and Applicators with Cotton Squares or Cotton Swabs dampened with 50% to 70% Rubbing Alcohol



• When sunny days are present, carry your Make-Up or Medicine in an Ice Chest plugged into your Automobile or with “Blue Ice”, in waterproof bags/baggies rather than lying on a seat where sunlight and trapped heat can spoil items



• Never share products that directly touch your skin, eyes, mouth

For the fear of any sort of Contamination to Eye or Skin from Make-Up, I chose Epsom Salt Rinses and immediately discard the Item in question!



All content by Europa Pirate

The Accumulating, Storing, and Shredding of Receipts

The Accumulating, Storing, and Shredding

of Receipts

Items Needed List:

• Receipts
• Paper Shredder
• Trash Bin
• File Cabinet
• File Folder
• *Small Bin with Lid & Name Tag (“Receipts”) if you do not own a Filing Cabinet
  
  If you now own a paper shredder, this task will be much easier. Otherwise, be prepared to cut your receipts with a scissors.

For Security purposes and a clutter-free environment, the task of going through your Receipts is essential.

Many people simply toss-out their Receipts, directly after a purchase. Some simply inform the sales clerk that a receipt is not necessary. As this is unquestionably a quick way to be clutter-free, I do not recommend this abrupt idea.

Receipts are now an element of life. Long ago in small towns, shop owners knew every customer and each product stocked. Today, life is further complicated. Aside from the vital TAX RECORD, that receipts provide, your receipt should be looked at in the same fashion as cash in your wallet. Whether your purchase is a Gift or for yourself, receipts enable you to “Exchange the Item” or “Return for a full Refund”.

Non-returnable Items/Rules that most Retail Shops follow:

• Cameras/Digital Recorders
• Opened CDs/Movies
• Party Dresses/Formal Ware
• Alerted/Special Orders
• Swimsuits/Undergarments
• Holiday Items/Seasonal

The above list may not be returned unless item is defective, and an exchange for same product match is required. Each Store/Corporation will list their individual policies on Returns/Exchanges. Usually, corporate/chain stores are more liberal about returns. Specialty Boutiques usually allow neither return nor refund, yet maintain their upscale cliental quite pleased by carrying items not commonly found by the general public.

Receipts To Keep until Recorded/Used :

• Automobile Regular Maintenance/Service
• Clothing
• Food/Grocery
• Haircut/Hairstyling
• Gasoline/Petrol
• Restaurant/Trip Bills
• Shoes
• Service

Receipts To Store For Taxes:

• Auto Purchase/Rental for Work
• Birth of Child
• Business Property Purchase/Rental
• Business Trip Expenditures
• Career Clothing
• Career Enrichment Courses
• Charity/Donation Slips
• Childcare/After-School/Dependent Care
• College/School Bills
• Computer/Career Supplies
• Conversion to Green Energy/Energy Efficient
• Dependent Costs
• Gasoline/Petrol
• Medical/Hospital
• Mobility Devices
• Pharmacy/Medication
• School Supplies (Uniforms, Books, etc)
• Student Loan Payments
• Transportation Expenses (Ferry, Train/Monorail, Bus, and Parking Fees)

Charity/Non-Profit Organization Filing

*Check with your Tax Advisor

Once you have separated, tossed-out, shredded, and organized your receipts, file folders labeled with Month/Year can hold each group, in your filing cabinet.


All content by Europa Pirate