Quick Tips

A collection of lifestyle tips & tricks – anything from arranging your bedroom scatter cushions to removing grass stains form a white sofa. We’ll post them as we think of them, adding a couple every week.

We need you! What is you favourite lifestyle tip or nifty trick? Maybe an old folk remedy or “boereraat”? Tell us about it!

Quick Tips:

#1   Feng Shui does not do clutter.  It is a no-no!!  Think of it this way, clutter hampers the flow of energy.  So get out there and as Nike says ‘just do it’.  To avoid getting bored while you de-clutter – take it on in bite sizes.

#2   Did you know you can stain your wooden furniture with coffee?! Yup, make a pot of (ground) coffee, leave it to brew overnight and then apply it with a brush to your sanded timber item. Stronger coffee equals a darker stain and weaker coffee a lighter tone. (via Re-Nest)

#3   Remove pen scratches and stains from vinyl, faux leather & sealed leather furniture by dabbing it with a bit of hand sanitizer on a clean white cloth or cotton wool. However, do not try this on suede or untreated, unsealed or soft leather as it would further damage your leather. I also read somewhere that you can use milk in the same way – the enzymes in the milk will break down the stain and moisturise the leather at the same time.

#4   You can remove ink stains and marks from fabric items & clothes with a bit of antiseptic liquid (like Dettol or Savlon). Dab some cotton wool in the antiseptic liquid, give the stain a good rub and then toss it into the washing machine.

#5   Here is a quick way to chill your drinks before an unplanned party or when on a camping trip. Place your bottles/cans in a bucket or container and add a layer of ice followed by a layer of salt; repeat the ice/salt layering until you almost reach the top. Fill the bucket with cold water to just below the ice line. Thanks to the salt the water in the bucket will be colder than normal, chilling you drinks in less than 10 minutes! (via Martha Stewart)

#6   In order to create depth in a room, you should include various layers of textures, objects and tones.  In other words, your floor covering would be one layer, into that you would add the paint colour or wallpaper, patterns on fabrics in the form of curtains, scatter cushions, furniture coverings. Thereafter, art on the wall, collections of objects ‘d art on tables, lamps, books, bed linen – all of these add further character and dimension to the room. It can be likened much to the fashion trends – you layer your clothes, starting with a T-Shirt, then a cardigan, coat, scarf etc.

#7   Whether it’s on your bed or on your sofa, never ever arrange scatter cushions at 45 degree angle (aka the dreaded diamond shape) – it looks terribly tacky and old-fashioned (“lekker oudoos”). No matter how beautiful the cushion, putting it at a 45 degree angle does your sofa no favours as it disrupts the natural eye-line of your space.

#8   When selecting a scatter cushion the density of the inner is quite important. Try not to buy scatters that are either too hard or too soft as they have a low comfort factor and will be an irritant when sitting. Down or feather-mix inners are considered to be the premium choice and can easily be reshaped and plumped. Try avoiding cushions with shredded foam as it gets lumpy or 100% polyester/hollow fibre inners that becomes as flat as a pancake. Rather have 2 quality feather-mix scatters on your sofa than 5 inferior scatters.

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