December, 2008 - Browsing by month

The holiday traffic in and out of your home can leave stains and scratches. Plus, the New Year event is still to come. Here is some general advice to respond to spills on upholstery, carpet and wood furniture.

CARE OF WOOD FURNITURE

Several coats of lacquer protect wood furniture but lacquer can be damaged by scratches, dents, alcohol and direct sunlight. Here are some recommendations:

1. Immediately clean spills or food with a soft clean cloth; blot don’t rub.
2. Dust often with a clean, soft, natural cloth that is slightly damp and dry with another clean cloth.
3. Remember dust is abrasive, so be gentle on your furniture.
4. Use a non-silicon based furniture polish and carefully follow the directions.
5. Direct sunlight may cause harm or deterioration over time.
6. If damage occurs, call a professional for the name of a reputable re-finisher.

CARE OF UPHOLSTERY

A lot of work is done for you when the fabric undergoes the finishing process at the factory. It is usually treated with soil and/or water repellents and some form of mildew inhibitors may also be used. However, it is not an invisible shield. Here are some recommendations:

1. Turn cushions and rotate them to even the wear and tear on the surface.
2. Vacuum weekly to remove surface dirt from embedding.
3. Blot but don’t rub surface spills immediately.
4. Test in an inconspicuous area before you use any product for spot cleaning, and check the manufacturer’s instructions to see if you need a water based or solvent based cleaner.
5. Use mild cleaning products first such as the foam from diluted laundry detergent and water.
6. Call a professional for removing major spills or stains.

Tags: furniture care, stains or scratches
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Holidays trigger memories of past celebrations and rituals with family, friends, and co-workers. The magic of a carousel ride with background music playing creates warm emotions and bonds. Children dress up for a photo with Santa or a Nutcracker performance. Many other traditions involve favorite foods, ornaments made in preschool placed on the tree, the smells of evergreen and cider, sharing bounty with those in need and expressing to one another their importance in our life.

And all around the world there are unique customs that make this time special. Christmas is a Christian holiday and many Christmas customs originated in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. These customs include sending Christmas cards (Hallmark says thank you) and hanging a sprig of mistletoe in a room or hallway for romantic opportunities.

The nine days before Christmas in Mexico are called posadas, which means inns or lodgings. Each day, Mexicans reenact Mary and Joseph’s search for lodgings on the first Christmas Eve. After each posada ceremony, there is a feast to celebrate and children enjoy trying to break the pinata.

TOO MANY TAMALES

In Los Angeles, Christmas is time for “Too Many Tamales,” an annual holiday show which acknowledges biculturalism in a city where 41 percent of the population was born abroad. The play tells the story of Maria consuming all of the family’s holiday tamales in a fruitless effort to find her mother’s missing engagement ring while explaining the Latino tradition of making tamales at Christmastime.

The play is a celebration of culture and a reminder to maintain and respect traditions from all over our interconnected world. Last year my family enjoyed a dinner with tamales transported from San Antonio. What traditions will you celebrate this holiday?

Tags: carousels, holiday tradition, rituals, tamales
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A FAVORITE THING FOR DECEMBER

With tree lighting ceremonies that kick off the holiday season, we witness the tremendous expansion of LED. LEDs are the lighting technology of choice for holiday lighting installations around the globe.

LED (light emitting diodes) are so efficient not only for major displays like the ones below, but especially for our personal use. LEDs are becoming more and more popular because they last much longer and are extremely energy efficient. One 26-lamp string of traditional lights lasts 1,000 hours and burns at 125 watts. The same size string in LED lasts 20,000 hours and burns at 2.3 watts. One set of LED lights costs only ten cents of electricity to run all season. For more information on how you can use eco-friendly lighting technology in your home and for discount coupons, visit www.gelighting.com.

Winter Light Show, Kuwana, Japan

4.5 million LEDs at the Nabana no Sato theme park in Kuwana, Japan form the centerpiece of their annual Winter Light Show that runs until March 8.

London’s Covent Garden commissioned a light-based sculpture called “Constellation,” which hangs from its ceiling. The sculpture comes with a total of 578 two-meter long TARMLED double-sided LED strips.

Tags: christmas lights, decorating, eco-friendly, Lighting
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