Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Introducing...Green Apple Maids, Inc.
Photo by Steve Navarro
With the Giants playing in the Superbowl this year, many of us are hosting parties or guests for the big game and some of us need a good pre-spring cleaning like we need a focused Eli Manning on Sunday. With that in mind, Green Apple Maids is your go-to company for a thorough, eco-friendly cleaning. They provide a "green" cleaning service which can be customized for your busy schedule.
With the term "green" sometimes being over-used these days, it is important to understand what the ramifications could be for not being environmentally conscious in own homes. Green Apple Maids' website explains:
Studies have shown that building occupants and janitorial stuff, as well as building visitors, experience of fewer incidents of skin, eye and respiratory irritation, less allergies, fewer chemical sensitivities, headaches and nausea when cleaning is performed with “green” or “eco-friendly” products.
The use of traditional cleaning products effect indoors air quality through evaporation, and contribute to water pollution, since they contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs). If you check your traditional cleaning products you might see it contains chlorine, phenol, ammonia or formaldehyde. These-and-more may be toxic. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the air inside a typical home is, on average, 2 to 5 times more polluted than the air just outside. Green cleaning helps to improve indoor air quality and minimizes pollution to our planet.
Use Green Apple Maids cleaning services in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, Long Island, New Jersey, Westchester and Connecticut.
To visit Green Apple Maids Profile Page, click here: New York Cleaning Service
or call Mike Green directly (877) 626 8750 or (718) 626 8750.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The Moving Company Bait and Switch
Don't Fall for the Trap
It's one of the oldest scams in the book, movers demanding more money once in the process of moving a customer, the goods are held hostage until their demands are met.
This is typical of moving companies who advertise the absolute lowest rate possible. Once they are in possession of your property, they raise fees and withhold your belongings until you pay the inflated price. This is the equivalent of kidnap and ransom, and it's the second most common complaint in the moving industry, after damaged items.
The good news is, the feds have just indicted 14 moving industry employees in Florida and California for exactly this type of business practice, sending a message that this will no longer be tolerated.
New Yorkers who are looking to move should check with the Better Business Bureau and of course, read reviews for New York Movers on cityhammer.com.
The San Jose Mercury News has the full story here.
Labels: Movers, New York Moving Companies, Reviews for Moving Companies in NY
Thursday, January 24, 2008
NY Home Improvement Blog Patrol
Elevator Sign Photo by dyobmit
Charles and Hudson documents the rise of the "renovation consultant". It seems that Bruce Irving of This Old House fame is taking his 17 years of experience and offering himself up as an expert to help with construction projects.
Renovation Consultant for Hire
Great discussion on Curbed over whether or not a Super is going above and beyond when performing handyman services. Co-op etiquette can be tricky in terms of tipping. We prefer using the services of a New York Handyman with a good reputation.
Super Handyman?
44 comments and counting in the Great Dish Rack Debate at Apartment Therapy! In these days of Clinton vs. Obama, Britney vs. Sanity and the Atlantic Yards Project vs. The World, it's oddly comforting to know that we still have the energy to debate whether laying dishes on a towel or having a rack is the right way to live.
The Dish Rack Debate
Monday, January 21, 2008
How Many (insert here) Does it Take to Unscrew a Lightbulb?
Photo by Chefranden
Q: How many Brooklyn-based bloggers does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Four; One to change the bulb, and the other three to lament about how good the old one used to be.
Just kidding, but here's a serious tip for changing out old bulb's, especially from a ceiling fixture. When changing out non-traditional shaped lighbulbs that have been in the fixture for a while, sometimes the screwed-in base gets stuck and only the glass, incandescent part comes free.
Never fear, simply take a screwdriver handle, put a damp cloth over it, and use that to fit into the base and twist it free. The mositure will help grip the metal and the screwdriver handle is usually the right size and shape for the job.
Don't ever use pliers to remove a stuck-in lightbulb base, you could end up damaging the fixture itself, or worse, get an electric shock.
That's our tip of the day, probably more helpful than three paragraphs on the closing of a dry cleaner in Red Hook...
Labels: Brooklyn Blog, Changing Lightbulbs, Pliers, Screwdriver, Stuck Lighbulb
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Introducing...Elizabeth M. Heid, "Hand Painted Works of Art"
Fruit and Wine Mural above Stovetop by Elizabeth M. Heid
Elizabeth M. Heid, a cityhammer.com member, has been turning sinks, tanks, kitchen backsplashes and many other tiled surfaces into "handpainted works of art" for more than 25 years.
When working on ceramic or porcelain, She uses a technique of raised relief glazing to give the artwork a three-dimensional look and fires the items in a 1900 degree kiln in her own studio. This firing essentially fuses her painted design into the existing glaze from the manufacturer.
On her own website, she's got an incredible gallery of everything from single tiles (fruits and vegetables) to bathroom sinks adorned with branches and flowers. We particularly like her kitchen mural of an italian spread including bottles of wine and a full antipasto platter! There's also an interesting bunny mural and several more classical tiled works for the tired, boring backsplash you want to revamp.
To visit Elizabeth M. Heid's profile page, click here: New York Painter
or call Elizabeth M. Heid directly at (631) 957 5823.
Labels: Backsplash, Kitchen Tiles, NY Painter, Tile Murals
Sunday, January 13, 2008
NY Home Improvement Blog Patrol
Blue and Yellow Photo by dv0rsky
My elementary school Roland Chatterton had Blue and Yellow as their color scheme, as does Blockbuster Video and Ikea. U of Michigan does too, but they call it blue and maize...Apartment Therapy has some interior design pic's of rooms done up in blue and yellow, you can be the judge of the outcome.
Color Combo: Blue and Yellow
On the Brownstoner Forum, "Donatella" is looking for an upholstery and fabric source/ pro. Of course, people in the know use cityhammer.com to find Upholstery in New York. We're adding new experts in this area all the time, if you know a good upholsterer, give us a shout.
Upholstery Forum
Brooklyn Row House is blogging one of the sickest things we've ever heard of...a house of horrors in South Carolina, where a couple moved in, found a secret room with a note from the previous occupant that contained a warning about the house's incredibly bad mold situation. The previous family's children had gotten extremely ill, the owner of the property failed to do anything about it, and now the new tenant's child is starting to exhibit symptoms. The message is "don't play around with mold. Check out our NY environmental companies if you think you may need mold remediation.
The Greenville Horror
Labels: Blue and Yellow Interior Design, Greenville Horror, Upholstery in New York
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Kitchen Kandy...The Northstar Range
The Northstar Retro Range in Robin's Egg Blue
The Northstar collection from Elmira Stove Works might be exactly what the doctor ordered for your next kitchen renovation. While Elmira Stove Works, based in Ontario, Canada, has a full line of "Antique" appliances, the Northstar line looks straight out of The Jetsons and is truly "1950's Cool".
This particular range comes in 10 colors, all perfectly retro, including White, Bisque, Black, Quicksilver, Robin's Egg Blue, Flamingo Pink, Mint Green, Buttercup Yellow, Candy Red and Avocado. Microwaves, dishwasher panels, refrigerators and range hoods are also available.
To see it all, check out the Northstar page
Labels: Elmira Stove Works, Kitchen Appliances, Kitchen Renovation, Ranges
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Renovations in Windsor Terrace, Bed Stuy and ... San Francisco?
Photo by furryscaly
On Brownstoner, the Windsor Terrace Reno is starting to come along, here's a great before and after of the guest bathroom (while not the Ritz-Carlton, it now flushes and is heated!)
Guest Bathroom Before/ After
There's an interesting Bed-Stuy renovation chronicled on Urban Digs, including the owner's lessons learned about countertops (they can take forever) and light fixtures (they add up)
Bed Stuy Renovation
Remodelista checks out CBStudio's Carrie Bernstein, a NY-bred, San Francisco-based architect with a talent for understatement. $ pictures shown including a killer shower.
San Fran Architect on Remodelista
Labels: Bed Stuy Renovation, Guest Bathroom, NY Architect, Renovation
Friday, January 4, 2008
Picking Paint Colors with the Forecasters
photo by laffy4k
Today's St. Petersburg Times has a breakdown of how color forecasters incorporate factors like economics, social changes, technology, the worklace and the political climate to come up with what the new color trends will be:
Debbie Zimmer, is a paint color expert with the Paint Quality Institute in Philadelphia and a former chemist with a degree in marketing:
If the economy "spits and falters," Zimmer says, colors tend to be less vibrant and "gray up a bit," whereas in boom times shades brighten up. The economy these days isn't so great. That's why the 2008 palette incorporates more earth tones, blacks and whites and shades like cranberry rather than hot-tamale red.
Zimmer's Palettes for 2008?
Go Green- a nod toward the ecological movement, making rooms look indoor/outdoor. "The go-green palette may have its roots in the colors of the American Northwest, spread across the map by Starbucks and Nordstrom, which use those colors. Both are based in Seattle," notes Linda Cox, an Interior Designer.
Sophisticated Elegance- a black and white palette that also moves into grays. "It looks great on crown molding and doors, in living rooms and bedrooms," Zimmer says.
Crewel Colors- "Derives from the family nesting trend and incorporates colors found in tapestry and needlework like cranberry, pumpkin and deep blue."
What best-dressed walls will be wearing
Labels: Color Forecasters, Crown Moldings, Go Green, New York Interior Designers, Wall Painting
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
NY Home Improvement Blog Patrol
Key Lime Guest Bedroom on Design Happens
Interesting discussion over on Brownstoner about whether 'tis better to add a powder room to the main floor of a house, or stick with a super-sized kitchen.
Powder Room vs. Big Kitchen
The gang at Apartment Therapy are helping out with french door window treatment ideas.
Window Treatment Ideas
Over on the Design Happens blog at HGTV, the 2008 Dream Home is coming together...there's a key lime-colored guest bedroom that is sure to be a love-it or hate-it proposition.
2008 Dream Home Pics
Labels: 2008 Dream Home, French Doors, Powder Room, Window Treatments
