Scott's Liquid Gold and me

 

A couple of weeks ago, I received a box of product samples from Scott's Liquid Gold Wood Care. Although it's a product I use and recommend already, I am being compensated for this post.

Many years ago, when I was starting out as a kitchen and bath designer, stainless steel kitchen appliances had hit the mainstream in a very big way. I was interning under a kitchen designer in the '90s and we spent a lot of time talking to clients and potential clients about caring for stainless steel.

Stainless steel refrigerators were just starting to catch on and at the time they were a lot more expensive that the-then default finish colors: white, black and bisque (shudder). People who had them already complained that they were impossible to keep shiny and people considering them wondered why they should spend more money for something that would look bad in the long run.

Stainless steel, like any shiny surface, shows fingerprints and smudges very easily. But because stainless is practically a mirror, especially when it's a large vertical surface like a fridge, those prints and smudges are really obvious.

I had lunch one afternoon with my Sub-Zero representative and I brought up the fingerprint problem as an objection I needed to be able to address when I was talking to clients about stainless in general and Sub-Zero in particular.

She told me to use a furniture polish, Scott's Liquid Gold specifically, to clean stainless steel. I was taken aback because it seemed like such a strange recommendation. All I knew about furniture polish in a can I observed from my mother's obsessive dusting with the stuff. Every surface in the home I grew up in had a almond-scented oily surface. That's not what popped into my head when I thought of sleek, shiny and modern stainless steel.

After that lunch with my rep, I went back to the studio and set up and experiment over the following week. Our studio was set up with a couple of kitchen vignettes and one of those vignettes was a fully-functioning kitchen. In that kitchen was a Sub-Zero refrigerator with stainless steel doors. All of us in that studio used that refrigerator every day and clients were forever pawing it so it had a surface that saw a lot of hands touching it. Our cleaning crew had a stainless steel cleaning product that they used on it but it still ended up looking pretty dingy pretty fast.

I asked the crew not to clean it for a week and instead to let me take charge of it for a couple of days.

Clients back then reported to me that they cleaned their stainless with window cleaner. Honestly, it's the same thing I'd have used. I mean, it's shiny like a mirror so clean it like a mirror. Right?

Wrong. Window cleaner is lousy on stainless steel because it leaves streaks and it evaporates completely so skin oil from touching the steel just stays on the surface and deflects light.

When I sprayed a towel with Scott's Liquid and then wiped down the refrigerator door something really cool happened. All of the streaks and prints disappeared with a gentle rub and as a bonus, a very tiny bit of the oil in the polish stayed behind. That leave behind stopped prints and smudges from appearing all together in the days that followed. My sub-Zero rep was right after all.

In the years that followed, Scott's Liquid Gold stayed on my short list of product recommendations for maintaining a new kitchen. I used it to this day on my own stainless appliances.

As I mentioned at the outset, Scott's sent me some samples to use and clean with in exchange for this post and I'm really grateful for the products and the opportunity. Included in their box of samples was something new from them.

This is Scott's One Clean Home. It's new for them and a revelation for me.

My current kitchen has dark granite counters. On some levels, granite is a practical surface and depending on the color of the granite, it's either a breeze to live with or a nightmare. My dark granite falls onto the nightmare end of the spectrum. Dark and shiny has a lot of the same problems reflective and shiny stainless steel has in that it shows a lot of smudges and fingerprints. 

I find my granite to be difficult to keep clean and my next kitchen will not have granite counters. Add to my granite my gloss-finished cabinetry and my kitchen is a gallery of fingerprints and smudges as often as not. When I clean I have to wash down all these surfaces and then buff everything dry to prevent water spots. It's a pain and honestly, I let it go far too often.

When I read the label from Scott's One Clean Home I read that it works on all manner of surfaces:

• Finished Wood
• Wood Laminates
• Stainless Steel
• Tile
• Plastic
• Metal
• Stone
• Porcelain
• Vinyl

I was skeptical until I started cleaning with it. Holy cow talk about a home run! Scott's One Clean Home cleans just about everything in my kitchen and it does almost as good a job on stainless as Scott's Liquid Gold.

Honestly, One Clean Home made a believer out of me and it's really great to find a single product that will clean every surface in my kitchen. From my travertine floors to my glossy cherry cabinets, it's all clean and clear. As a bonus, it smells like grapefruit and I'll take that anywhere I can find it.

New kitchen plan? Mind a few things

Your food preparation space at home matters more than you think. If you're like most people, then you devote a lot of time to put together meals on a daily basis. You may even spend a lot of time in your kitchen snacking or eating meals in general. If you're keen on establishing a residential kitchen that's the definition of cozy and welcoming, then these design suggestions can go a long way for you and for all of the other members of your household.

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Install a Spacious Kitchen Island

Kitchen islands can make amazing additions to any and all food preparation spaces. If you invest in the installation of one of these islands, you can reap the rewards of extra preparation space. A kitchen island can make setting aside essential meal ingredients a lot easier. It can eliminate a lot of clutter and chaos, too. If you want to store gorgeous and practical accessories, the assistance of a capacious island can be a huge help. Choosing kitchen Italian accessories is often as simple as assessing your lifestyle and day-to-day objectives.

Focus on Broad Walkways

It can be frustrating to have a residential kitchen that's overly cramped and tight. A tight kitchen can look unpleasant. It can also feel unpleasant. If you want your kitchen to feel like a million dollars, it can be nice to have ample space and top-notch ventilation. Strong ventilation can contribute to excellent indoor air quality. That can do a lot for any designated food space. If you want your kitchen to feel as comfortable and enticing as can be, then you should zero in on walkways that are broad. Broad walkways can also make tackling food preparation duties a lot simpler and more practical. It can be hard to prepare meals in a kitchen that makes you feel claustrophobic. It can be uncomfortable to constantly bump into things, too.

Install a Cozy Booth

Some of the best kitchens in the world also happen to be the coziest ones. If you want your kitchen to contribute to a well-rounded food experience, it can be a fantastic idea to install a relaxing booth. Kitchen booths provide people with hassle-free places to enjoy quick and tasty snacks in the middle of meal preparation duties. If you want to be able to nosh on a hassle-free meal without having to go through all of the trouble of setting up your dining table, the addition of a pleasant booth can be a game-changer.

Resurface Your Cabinets

It can be a terrific idea to update the look and feel of your kitchen cabinets. You don't have to deal with the expenses of replacing them fully, either. That's because you can always opt to resurface them. Cabinet refacing can get rid of unsightly and conspicuous scrapes, scratches and imperfections. It can make the paint on your cupboards look a lot fresher and more "alive," too. If you want your kitchen to look far from neglected and tired, then there are few actions that can hold a candle to cabinet resurfacing. Don't forget, either, that full cabinet replacement costs a lot more. It's also a process that's a lot more time-consuming and cumbersome. If you want your cabinet job to be efficient, refacing is the answer.

How to Advertise Your HVAC Business

 

The HVAC system of a building is a very important part of the building. This is because it is the system in charge of its heating and cooling and you will agree that these two are important for anyone to survive. It is a critical system for everyday life and living.

One way or the other, people have to deal with extreme temperatures and it is at this time that you appreciate what the system is about. This means that for a business in this field, their job is critical to people’s survival. Therefore, making their services available on time bodes well not just for the business but for people that need it as well.

You can read more on the importance of HVAC here.

Owning an HVAC Business

As important as the HVAC system of a building is, so are the businesses and professionals that handle its installation, maintenance and repair. 

This is why businesses must set up shop to help residents of cities around them with their HVAC systems. It is not enough to set up shop, you also need customers. Therefore, you need to advertise so people can know what you are offering and what you are capable of.

With this in mind, you may own a business and you do not get enough customers to patronize you. This may be down to several factors. Firstly, it can be due to a lack of proper advertising. Secondly, it can be a result of poor services on your part. Thirdly, it can be due to stiff competition from other businesses offering the same services, and so on. 

One thing is sure though. As it has been established, HVAC services are important and it is needed in every home. So if you are not getting customers, you have to look inwards to see what you are doing wrong and what you need to correct. A huge part of this could be advertising.

You are probably not the only one in the city offering HVAC services, other businesses do offer the same. Unless you are known and out there, the likelihood that people will reach out to your business is slim. 

Also, life keeps advancing and so are the ways things are done. To ensure that your business is patronized, you need to embrace new ways of marketing to keep pace with the times.

What are the Ways to Advertise Your HVAC Business?

In this digital age, more and more people are spending their time online. If you like to have a successful business, that is where to meet up with them. You need to have a strong online presence where potential customers can easily locate you. You have to start by owning a website that is easy to navigate, user-friendly and accessible. 

These days, it is not enough to just have a website, you need to also take further steps in addition to this. These includes:

Implementing Local SEO

This is the single most important thing that must be done to your website. Search Engine Optimization talks about optimizing your site so that it can be easily located during web searches. Also, when the customer eventually is on your website, it must be user-friendly.

Most customers simply go online and search for the kind of service that they desire in their locality by using search engine sites such as Google and Bing. If your website is not optimized for SEO, when they search, they will not find your business. If it is, you will be able to rank high in searches. Your website will be easy to locate and to visit.

Take Advantage of Online Marketing

Asides from implementing SEO, since most users spend time online, you should take advantage of digital and online marketing. You can post ads about your business using tools such as Google My Business Page, social media marketing, pay per click ads, content creation and so on. 

All these will bring your business to the fore. Even when potential customers are not actively searching for your HVAC business, it is registered in their subconsciousness. By the time they need your services, they can then easily remember to reach out to you.

Have a Great Landing Page

Part of owning a website is having a really welcoming landing page. A landing page is the first page that a visitor to your websites sees upon clicking on your link. It must be attractive as well as user-friendly. It also must be easy to navigate and must have a call to action. A call to action helps customers to know what to do and how they can get to reach you.

You must put relevant information that will keep the visitor engaged on your landing page. You may also add a live chat feature so that if the customer desires to ask your business direct questions, they will have the opportunity to do so.

A poor landing page is a turn off so ensure that you make it attractive and engaging enough for visitors to your website to spend time there.

You can visit https://www.hvacadvertisingtemplates.com if you want to learn more about this. 

Conclusion

No building can do without an HVAC system so if you are involved in such a business, you should readily get clients. However, if this is not the case, then you probably need to look for smarter ways of advertising your business.

As most people are online these days, it makes sense to have a huge online presence. Much more than that, you also have to devise a strategy to ensure that you can easily be located and that gives you leverage over your competitors.

Finding the right Tile Backsplash contractor In Portland- Factors

When you are thinking of remodeling your kitchen, then you should consider opting for the best interior features that will offer benefits like timeless appeal and durability. Among the various elements, you should consider installing tile backsplash as it is the best way of increasing the value of your property. You can install them in your bathroom or kitchen so that you will get the most amazing feature in your home interiors. Additionally, it also helps in enhancing the style and character of any space as it has stylish designs that will make the space look even more visually appealing. Therefore, for a successful home remodeling project, you will need to find the best tile backsplash contractor who will complete the job cleanly and quickly according to your requirements. 

Finding the right tile backsplash contractor in Portland is very important if you want to get professional quality of service. Moreover, the backsplashes are considered as the best way of protecting your walls from water damage and stains. While offering the highest level of protection, the backsplashes also helps in adding style and color to the room so that you will get an amazing looking space. Therefore, it is important that you look for a reputable tile backsplash contractor who will complete the task of installing these elements for complementing any space. Even the most complex patterns can be installed by these professionals while offering services to grout and seal the materials so that it will remain clean and attractive for a long period of time. It is important that you look for experienced professionals who can easily install the tile backsplash anywhere easily so that you will get high quality services. Additionally, they also need to make use of good quality materials for the project so that you will get aesthetic appeal from the installation of tile backsplash. You should also get a water resistance option that can be cleaned easily and you can also maintain it without the need of replacing them in near future. The knowledge of the contractor is also very crucial so that they will help you in adding final touches to your bathroom and kitchen. This will also help in bringing the designs of these areas together so that you can get the right kind of outcome from the project. The use of backsplashes is very important for offering an instant curb appeal and attractiveness to your property. You should look for a licensed and certified contractor who will help you in selecting the best kind of kitchen look. Please visit this link, if you need a certified tile contractor in Portland: https://www.tileinstallersportland.com/ 

The selection of the tile backsplash contractor should be done after accessing the skills level of these professionals so that you will get someone with the right level of skills and expertise. You should also ask for references from your family and friends so that you will get the best quality installers who will offer you the highest level of service. You should read the reviews and ratings of these professionals by visiting their website. This will ensure that you have hired the best contractors so that you will get the best kind of services at the most attractive price. 

Why Use Window Cleaning and Pressure Washing Services in Jacksonville

Are you wondering why you may need window cleaning and pressure washing services in Jacksonville? These services may actually be more of a big deal than you might have thought. They come in handy and offer results that will likely leave you amazed.

The decision to engage a window cleaning and pressure washing service may therefore be one of those decisions you’ll ever be glad you made. 

We will do a quick review of what these companies offer and also give you some tips to help you choose from among the best in Jacksonville. 

What do they Offer?

Are you still thinking about what these companies can do for you? They can do the following:

1. Give expert advice on how best to handle your window
2. Provide and deliver excellent removal of dirt, stain, grim, or debris on your window
3. Carry out deep cleaning
4. Give recommendations on good cleaning agents and products that can give your window a glowing look.
5. Handle post-construction or renovation cleaning
6. Disinfect surfaces from bacteria, fungi, and viruses

In Jacksonville, window cleaning and pressure washing companies offer a wide range of services that give your home, business, and office a sparkling look. These include:

1. Washing parking lots and parking decks
2. Cleaning drive-thru areas
3. Maintaining and cleaning outdoor entertainment spots
4. Cleaning decks, patios, shuffleboard courts, gutters, and fence

You can click on https://professionalwashingservice.com to find out other services that you can expect if you choose the right company. 

Benefits of Using these Professional Cleaners

Here are some of the benefits you can enjoy when you engage one of these companies in Jacksonville:

1. Time Saving

Window cleaning and pressure washing services help to save time and energy. This is because the method used is different from the traditional way of cleaning surfaces and glass. It goes a long way to make cleaning faster and less stressful. By using professional cleaners, your residential or commercial building gets a fresh sparkle. 

2. Safety

When you engage the services of experts, you save yourself from infection. Several surfaces are contaminated with dirt, bacteria, fungi, or viruses. These germs can be killed by pressure washing and anti-bacteria cleaners. As a result, you are saved from the risk of contracting any form of disease. 

Additionally, a window cleaning and pressure washing service in Jacksonville, assures you of excellent delivery. Your property is at a lower risk of experiencing any scratch or damage.

3. Cost Saving 

We understand that you may be on a low budget, but cleaning and washing services usually come at a low cost. It is a worthwhile venture considering it is not a daily task. This saves you the cost of getting a personal pressure washer. Also, they offer deep window cleaning that can benefit you in the long run. You can also get other expert advice and recommendations that can be of great help in maintaining your windows.

4. The Use of Proper Tools and Materials

You do not need to worry about which tool or material to use if you invest in the right service. Unlike the conventional cleaning process, experts know the right chemical and procedures that will be suitable for removing different kind of dirt or stain from any surface. 

If a wrong chemical is used, it can harm the surface. You can increase the durability and life span of your window and surfaces by having the right hands to take care of it. 

5. Efficiency

Not only are expert cleaning and washing services effective, but they are also efficient. They deliver result-based services that seeks to please the customer. A good washing service will be willing to build good customer relations. As a result, they offer excellent and top-notch services that will make the customer happy.

With the internet, you can check out some notable cleaning and pressure washing services in Jacksonville. You may also want to read this article for more details on how to ensure you enjoy the best of these services. 

Conclusion

We have discussed why you should use a window cleaning and pressure washing service in Jacksonville. So, ensure you check out the services they offer to determine if it accurately suits your needs. Also, do not forget you can gain a lot from using the right company.