Pantry Organization

How many times have you opened up the pantry only to be greeted with a sense of frustration?
Can you relate to these scenarios?

Nothing is where it should be and your kitchen storage is at a minimum.
It is hard to find what you need when you are in a hurry.
You know you bought it last week but why can’t you find it

Pantry Organization Will Also Save You Money!

When you can easily see what food you have on hand it will be used and not be left to spoil in the far back reaches of a bottom shelf

Have you noticed how much space canned foods take up in your pantry?
They do take up the most room but they are one of the easiest things to organize.
Cans are durable and they can be stacked or they are perfect for can racks that you can group all of your can together and you will use them in date order.

By grouping cans into food groups it will help meal planning when checking to see if you have canned tomatoes for pasta sauce or canned fruit for a pie
I group my mine into food groups such as:

Tomatoes
Beans
Tuna/Salmon
Milk/Coconut Milk
Fruit – Apple, Peaches, Pineapple

Then I can quickly replace or buy what I need

Declutter The Pantry With Food Canisters

The other overwhelming part is all the boxes and packets of food.
Often when something is half opened and clipped shut you cannot see what is in the bag or the packet.
I use to double up on so many ingredients thinking I had run out only to find half full packets

Putting dry ingredients into jars and canisters not only looks neater, it will keep you able to manage your pantry inventory plus it stops pests from getting into your food.
Pantry moths and mice cannot get into an airtight container.
Getting containers for food storage does not have to be an expensive undertaking
Read this article about Budget Pantry Jars.

What Sort Of Food Storage Containers?

If you do want to buy some new containers then make sure you look for the term “Air Tight” and of course BPA free plastic.
You can buy Food storage sets that have 12 or even 16 different sized containers – right from the smallest up to large for cereal and tall for spaghetti
The different sizes in a set will allow you to stack them neatly and use all available space in the patry

Some ingredients also need bigger canisters and mouth openings.
I need my flour in a large canister as I put measuring cups in to grab the amount of flour I need – So the opening must be able to fit a measuring cup.
You also need those larger containers for cereal and pasta.
You cannot jam these into small containers unless you want crumbs!

Getting a decent set of containers really helps to create more storage space as they created room so that the family can now easily reach the airtight containers that were hiding at the back of the shelves.

A Cohesive Looking Pantry Is The Goal

Just remember your jars and canisters do not all have to match.
If you have some with black lids some with wooden lids, some square and some round – It doesn’t matter as long as there is something cohesive about all of them and this is easily done by a great set of pantry labels and these are the ones I have bought and now recommend

You can grab them on Amazon by clicking on the image

Spice Jar Organization

Be careful keeping spice jars close to where you cook
Don’t have them above your cook top as heat and steam is not a friend for your spices!
Keeping them in jars will keep them fresher than keeping them in packets.
I currently have mine in small preserving jars and they fit into a drawer next to my oven
I have labelled their lids so I can see what I need when I pull the drawer out
Spice racks also work really well and they can be kept on a countertop or you can put them into your pantry.
It is easier if you keep your spices in some sort of order
You want to be able to quickly grab the ones you use the most and then to be able to put them back when done with them

The Pantry Door Is A Great Place To Store Smaller Items

The back of a pantry door is an area that you can make use of!
Use it to hang hooks for shopping bags
Or use an over door organizer or there are some light weight racks that can be nailed/screwed into a cupboard door. If you have a door that is suitable but it needs to be fixed – There are kitchen cabinet repair services. You do not want to damage your pantry door.
These racks are perfect for spice jars and other small condiments or small loose items
Another way you can utilize the space at the back of your pantry’s door is to use a shoe organizer.
They come in clear plastic and you can easily store small lightweight items here and they will be easy to find and grab.

Storage Bins for the Refrigerator

If your family is all about quick meals , storage hacks for the refrigerator are a necessity.
Something as simple dollar store bins can make a world of difference.
If you have children, you can place their after-school meals in each container.
Place stickers with their names on it, so they’ll know what bin belongs to whom. Or, you can dedicate each container to a specific meal.
For instance, if lunch for the week is sandwiches, place all the items needed for a sandwich inside.
That way, it’s super easy to grab everything in one swipe; this hack works well for planning weekly dinners too.

Professional Organization Help.

Now pantry organization can be fun once you have got all your jars, canisters and labels assembled.
If you are looking at it and it just seems to much.
Consider using a Pro Organizer and their will be one local to you if you do a search.
They truly are their weight in gold and they can quickly assess what you actually need help with and where to start.

The post Pantry Organization And Kitchen Storage appeared first on GQ Central.

Deck Restoration Guide

A Step By Step Deck Restoration Guide

A deck is an important part of many Australian homes and adds to our way of life.
They add an extra living space and utility area to your house.
It can be a great place to enjoy fresh air and sunshine in the mornings.
A deck is also be a place to hangout with family and friends to enjoy BBQ’s and parties in the afternoon or evening.

Because of its exposure to harsh elements like the Australian sun, your deck needs routine maintenance that addresses any damage.
This upkeep will protect your outdoor areas and prevent more significant deck problems in the future.
It will also keep the deck in great condition for many years.
Deck restoration is one of the best ways that you can use to improve the appearance of your old deck.

Here is a step by step guide to restoring your outdoor space.

1. Inspect The Deck’s Surface

The impact of harsh weather conditions, including UV rays, high heat, and rain, can damage your deck structure.
Before starting your deck restoration project, it’s essential to start by thoroughly inspecting your deck surface.

In this step, you’ll look for any loose deck boards. You can also check if there are structural component issues such as rotting or split boards. It is a good idea to also check railings or the pergola to see if these need to be repaired at the same time

Use a leaf blower or a broom to remove any debris on the surface.
You can as well use a scraper to remove any dirt and debris trapped in between the deck boards.

2. Lightly Clean Your Deck

The correct method of cleaning your deck depends on its finish and your end goals for restoring it.

If you’re restoring a deck that has been formerly coated with paint:
You may need to use a paint remover to strip off the paint. Then, clean and sand the surface before applying a new stain or finish
However, if you’re only painting, the process will involve cleaning, sanding, and then repainting.

Wear protective clothing such as gloves at all times to keep yourself safe from splashes and fumes
If your outdoor space is not painted but has a stain, you don’t need to apply a paint remover.
Just use a deck cleaner to clean the wood surface.

Oxygen-based wood cleaners are known to be the best and most effective cleaners for eliminating mildew stains.
These cleaners will also remove any graying caused by ultra-violet exposure.
Additionally, they will clean the wood surface, eliminating all dirt and deposits.

3. Deep Clean The Deck Using A High Pressure Cleaner.

Deep cleaning is a significant step in deck restoration.
A power washer can be a highly useful tool for deep cleaning a deck.
However, it can easily damage your surrounding outdoor entertainment area if it’s carried out incorrectly. Using excessive water-jet pressure or an incorrect sprayer technique can etch away the surface of the wood. It may also wreck some of your deck boards and surrounding paint work

When deep-cleaning your wood deck using a power washer, ensure that you use the minimum pressure that offers effective cleaning.
For softwoods like pine or cider, the recommended pressure is approximately 500 to 600 pounds/ square inch (psi). If your deck is made up of harder woods, you can use higher pressure which shouldn’t exceed 1200 to 1500 psi.

4. Sand Your Deck

After you power-wash the deck boards, the wood fibres increase as they swell with water.
Once the wood fibres are dry, they may have extra splinters. For an effective sanding, you have to sand the entire area before staining.

Sanding your deck will be easiest if you use an orbital sander. However, the right sandpaper is vital to have excellent results. Sandpapers that are too fine leave the deck wood pores full of fine dust that prevents soaking of the stain.
Using a sandpaper that is too rough can damage the wood, particularly the softer woods like cider.

For the main deck boards, the ideal sandpaper grit should be 60 or 80.
You can use a sandpaper grit of 80 or 100 for the handrails.
After the sanding, make sure you sweep and vacuum all wood surfaces thoroughly. Avoid rewashing the deck as doing so might cause swelling to the wood grain and coarsen the sanded surfaces.

This step is very vital in the preparation so take adequate time in it to ensure your deck is entirely clean and has no damage or anything to stop the stain or paint from adhering to the wood.

Since sanding is a dusty process, safety equipment like wear some eye protection and a mask are a good idea

5. Choosing The Timber Stain

Choosing the stain is one of the most significant steps in your deck restoration project.
There are various types of staining products.
One is the semi-transparent stains that permit the deck wood grain to be noticeable through the stain.
There are also opaque stains that dye the deck wood and conceal all the wood grain.

Additionally, you can find oil-based as well as water-based stains.
The water-based stains are known to offer easy cleanups.
However, nearly all experts will agree that most water-based outdoor stains have a shorter lifespan than oil-based products.

A quality oil-based stain is the most recommended stain for your outdoor area.
It’s an outdoor semi-transparent stain that soaks thoroughly into the wood grain.

Once applied, the final color of the stain may differ from the color brochure.
This can be due to the type of timber you have stained and many companies do have comparison charts to show the color examples on different timbers.

6. The Stain Application

Applying the stain is the last step in your deck restoration project.
Ensure you use the right brush or roller to soak the stain into your deck’s timber surface.
The right brush or roller will also help to control the consistency and even application of your staining process.

Remember your deck must be completely dry before you stain it. It is critical to that your deck is left to dry for approximately two days before proceeding with the staining step.
Water present in the wood pores will stop the adequate absorption of the stain into the timber.

Deck restoration may seem like a big task and if it does seem like too big a job – Then there are many professional Brisbane deck builders that also do deck restoration.
If you are confident and have the time, then by simply following the above steps, you’ll make your old deck look like new once again.

The post Deck Restoration Guide appeared first on GQ Central.

Car Detailers Brisbane

What is the difference between using a hand wash or a car wash for your car?

In choosing whether to make use of  a car wash or hand wash for your car, one can actually find it pretty much difficult to choose. 

Either ways whatever the choice is, it's not necessarily the wrong or right choice. 

Making a choice is dependent on a lot of factors ranging from personal preferences to costs and so on. 

But then, in determining which is preferable, it is important we actually know the difference in either having a car wash or a hand wash as having the knowledge will aid in making the decision process easier.  Here are a few conditions to be considered:

 

• TIME CONSTRAINT: One major and noticeable difference between using a hand wash or a car wash is the speed that is, the time taken. It literally takes less than 10mins to have your car washed using the automatic car wash as compared to the hand wash. Hand washing could take from 30mins to 1 hour or more.

• ECO-FRIENDLINESS: In this day and age, it is important to consider the option which is environmentally friendly. With increased awareness about environmental safety, we should decide on either the car wash or the hand wash based on that which is more friendly to the environment. Well, as you may have already figured out, that option is  the car wash.  As much as we want to enjoy the fun of having to wash our cars in our driveways, it is key we do not forget that those grease, oils and contaminants can make the environment look messy and even end up in our water supply system, causing environmental pollution. This can pose as a health risk to us, our families and neighborhood generally. 

• GENTLENESS: Well, many people tend to believe that hand washing your car is actually more gentle  than automatic car washing. There are no spiky brushes rubbing against the car and scratching the paint. This may seem true but then, there are a lot of conditions in getting that very gentle wash for your car, because there are literally no fewer than six steps to do it. From getting four buckets , to having multiple sponges, and so on. It requires a whole lot of processes that require one's patience.

• EFFECTIVENESS: This is definitely a no-brainer. Car wash ensures you rid your car of all the grime and dirt. The automatic power hoses get into areas your hands cannot. Irrespective of the automatic car wash technique one uses, it gives your car that extra cleanliness as compared to hand washing. Along with the water shooting out of the jets, those machines are going to blast away the dirt and rinse it right off, leaving your car almost unblemished.

• COST EFFECTIVE: Looking at which is more economical and cost friendly, one cannot really say as prices of having an automatic car wash varies accordingly and also is dependent  on the number of persons washing the car. Going the hand washing way, you need to have a couple of things like a good, car cleaner, rag, bucket , towels e.t.c and if you want a thorough job, then you'd be considering getting microfiber towels, de- ironer, glass cleaner, to mention but a few. If one is willing to get these equipment then it's great because these can be used for several other things.

• CONVENIENCE: It is pretty much obvious that when it comes to convenience, automatic car washing is the best bet. I can assure you that you won't get tired at all getting a machine to wash your car because well, you're not the one washing afterall. Having a car washed can simply be done from your comfort zone as you just need to drop off your car and wait a couple of minutes and viola!  All done and set. Simply trouble-free and expedient. Whereas having a hand wash could literally take your time for that day, leaving you with other piled up work to settle. 

 

Going through the carefully highlighted differences, it is pretty much obvious that having a car wash has more pros compared to the traditional hand washing method. 

That is why we have provided the best service for your car detailing right here in Brisbane.
At Car Detailers Brisbane,we help you get your car well cleaned in swift time, leaving it as good as new.

Contact us today and see what we can do!