How can you take the stress out of moving house? Unfortunately, that may be mission impossible! Whilst we can’t wave a magic wand and make everything plain sailing, we can certainly help make it less chaotic, at least once you’ve got the keys to your new home. So settle in and take note with these new homeowner tips to help make for a smoother transition.
1. Get your home security in order
Make sure all the windows are in good condition and are able to be fully closed and locked properly. You may have missed things on previous visits, so check entryways for any signs of damage, wear and tear, and faults. If there are any, fixing these should take priority. And before you get carried away with redecorating and kitting out your new home with the latest technology and brand-spanking-new appliances, consider a high-quality security system first. With smart security systems out there, you can order one and set it up in no time with no need for wires – jst a Wi-Fi connection is all you need.
2. Know your neighbours
You probably already know a little about your neighbourhood because that’s one of the factors you should consider when buying a new home. But at the moment you’ll only have the estate agent’s word, or maybe you did some research. Now that you’ve bagged the house though, it’s time to really get to know your neighbours. They could help with your transition or give you valuable tips and insight about the property or area. It does no harm in trying to make friends with neighbours so you can all share important information, especially when it comes to neighbourhood watch schemes.
3. Reduce, reuse, recycle
We’ve all heard of this mantra, and it’s especially useful when transitioning to a new home. All those boxes and any packaging can come in handy or be recycled. Upcycling also comes into this, especially if you have a family. Kids love being creative, so get them involved in transforming any old items or boxes into new toys, ornaments or storage units, using natural ropes or twines etc. Make sure you know about your local waste management too, and have the calendar sorted, knowing which days your bins will be emptied so you’re on top of your waste from the get-go.
4. Notify relevant organisations of change of address
Don’t forget the big task of informing the relevant organisations of your move. In fact, not just organisations, but acquaintances and extended family members you may have forgotten about too. Make a list and check it off. Inform all the utility companies as well as the electoral register, DVLA, and your bank. Don’t forget about any pension or finance accounts. Then work your way through all your shop accounts, updating the billing and delivery address. Once you’ve ticked them all off, you can breathe a sigh of relief.
5. Make a house a home
Then there’s the final exciting part of making the house your own. This can seem daunting at first, but as long as you have a thorough plan to follow, things can go more smoothly. Work from room to room, and start with Pinterest to gather inspiration and ideas. For instance, there are fantastic rope decor ideas to renovate any home out there for you to discover. You may even pick up themes to work into your renovation and decor, like nautical which works brilliantly for bathrooms or gardens. With some decking ropes, a patio, lights, and outdoor furniture, you can create a calm, quirky outdoor area – check out these decking for your garden ideas. Or you may like rustic design ideas for your home – there’s lots of inspiration out there whatever your style!
And for all your crafting needs or help with decor, browse Rope Source right here. Contact us today for any requests or help.
Whether you’ve just moved into a new home that already has a rustic feel, or you’ve been obsessed with Pinterest boards lately, we’ve got five simple but beautiful rustic design ideas for a bit of DIY inspo.
1. Driftwood mirror and shelf
We love this old-fashioned looking mirror frame and shelf. Just looking at it transports you back in time. Not many of us would think to incorporate a shelf into a mirror, but look how beautiful it can look with a variety of ornaments, candles and keepsakes. You can get this driftwood mirror ready made, or DIY it with some rustic, old beams of wood. Sand them down and give them a new lease of life, but not too much if you’re going for that rustic feel!
Jute crafts
There’s so much you can do with twisted jute rope or jute craft twine that makes them a perfect resource for rustic-themed home decor. Here are some worthy ideas inspired by Felt Magnet:
2. Jute-wrapped handles
Simply start by tying an over-under knot to secure the end and tuck the tail back. Wrap the jute rope or twine around the handle and the tail. Trim the tail, if necessary, and continue wrapping to the end, tucking the remaining tail under the loops. Secure with a dab of clear drying glue.
3. Jute mug rugs
This one involves a little creative crochet, but don’t worry, there’s a handy YouTube video showing you exactly what to do. This jute twine material is actually brilliant for hot mugs and dishes because they’re larger and thicker than coasters, so they give great heat protection to surfaces, and they look beautifully rustic!
4. Jute-wrapped bottles and desk containers
A popular trend in rustic home decor circles is wrapping bottles and containers in jute twine; recycling and upcycling in one! Just loop and tie a knot at the base or glue down and wrap to the top of the neck, glueing down the end twine. Use jute-wrapped bottles as ornaments or vases for beautiful flowers, and jute-wrapped tins/containers for tidying up the desk. Go colourful to suit your home’s colour palette with coloured jute craft twine.
5. Expose the stone
Nothing says rustic like exposed stone. Take a look at this quaint stone fireplace feature. If you’ve moved into a house with exposed stone, why not embrace it before thinking of a complete change, as it can be easily incorporated into a rustic theme. Blend it in with neutral tones, antiques and vintage pieces.
We’re so quick to jump out to the shops or browse online when it comes to faulty or worn items, or issues, but there are things we can all do ourselves without having to break the bank. Try out these DIY quick home fixes to surprise yourself on what you can actually do!
Cracked or shabby vases
Forget throwing out a cracked or shabby vase, get creative instead! With natural ropes and a hot glue gun, you can update it in no time, concealing any stains or cracks. Just simply coil the rope around the vase, glueing it down with the hot glue gun, and you’ll have compliments over judgement. If you have a lamp shade looking a bit tired or if it’s been cut, you can do the same.
More storage
By using some leftover planks of wood and rope, you can create some hanging shelves for a rustic storage piece. Sand down your planks, making sure they are all equal in size. Drill holes about 3cm from the edges of the planks, and thread thick rope through the drilled holes, tying knots at the bottom of the bottom shelf. Place the next plank where you want it to sit, then open the rope under it, inserting a dowel or nail through it so that the shelf can rest on it. If the rope is a thin one, you can also rest the plank on a knot in the rope to keep it in place. Attach the hanging ropes to the ceiling using swing hangers. Then, place your items on your shelves for more space.
Securing a loose floorboard
Stepping on a loose floorboard is super annoying. Stop that annoyance with this simple, quick DIY fix. For loose nails, try driving them deeper in with a nail set. If the board is bowed, use stainless steel screws over nails, and cover the heads with wood filler. Before you do this, check for pipes or electric cables underneath! You do not want to hammer or drill into a pipe, especially one that could shoot hot water at you.
Creaky stairs
The next time you hear a creak up the stairs, try sprinkling some talcum powder into the joint of the creaking steps. If it keeps happening, you’ll need to strengthen the joints. You can fit glue blocks between the riser and the tread. Prise away the blocks, and inject wood glue into the joint before refitting the blocks.
DIY coasters
Running low on coasters? Use sisal rope and a hot glue gun to make your own. Simply start by coiling the rope and glueing it in place as you coil it. When you’ve reached the size you want, chop off the end and glue it in place. Just by using a bit of rope, you now have your dinner set complete with a nautical, rustic feel.
Drawer rope handles
Missing some drawer handles? Maybe they’ve fallen or broken off? Cotton rope can be a handy alternative that will last. Simply drill some holes where the handles were and thread thick rope through, tying a knot on the inside of the drawer to keep it in place. Make sure there’s enough length on the outside to grab and tie a knot at the end. Now you can grab and pull your drawers easily without worrying about any knobs coming loose.
If you’re painting a sash window, keep moving the panels whilst the paint dries to prevent sticking. If a sash does get stuck, score the edges with a craft knife, then use a filling knife between the beads and sash – easing from both sides. Grasp the meeting rail, and shake the sash to break the paint seal. If you need to replace a sash window cord, look no further than here at Rope Source, we have all colours to suit.
Rehanging a coat rail
Look out for screws in your coat rails pulling away from the wall. Unscrew the rail to review the fixings, and consider adding another in the middle for more support. If the wall you’re attaching it to is made of bricks that have gone soft or crumbly – making screw holes worn and now too big – use a chisel to fashion a tapered peg from a piece of wood for the screw. Knock the wooden peg into the wall and saw the end off to create a flat surface.
Unless you plan to repaint, put a thin sheet of card underneath the blade and press the blade with your free hand for a straight cut. Mark the centre of the wooden peg, then drill the rail to fix it in place, but don’t fully tighten the screw. Hammer a peg to the other side, then use a spirit level on the top of the rail. When it’s straight, tap a nail into the other peg to hold it in position, then drill your hole and insert the screw. Tighten all the screws up.
Awkward keys
If you’re finding your key is becoming more awkward to work with, then there are easy things you can try. If the key is new, go back to the locksmith for them to take a look at, it may need some fine-tuning. You can also use lubricating spray to ease it in – avoid oils which can attract dirt and could clog up the mechanism. If all else fails, use a locksmith before you replace the key as it could be a simple fix.
Wobbly chairs
You don’t need to go out and buy a brand new chair, instead do a DIY home fix to save a wobbly chair. Instead of levelling chair legs by sawing them down, build up a shorter leg by putting the chair on a flat surface, and sliding an off-cut, flat piece of wood underneath until it is stable. Draw around the chair leg and saw off the circle with a fine-toothed saw. Glue and screw the chair leg to the wood to keep it firmly in place. You can also minimise movement by placing sticky-backed gliders on the bottom of the legs.
Before spending a lot more money, try out your skills for DIY home fixes first. You can train your domestic skills, as well as save some pennies. For any rope, cord, or twine materials, we’ve got you covered here at Rope Source. Contact us today for any length or spool requests.
Chores can be the bane of our lives, but making them more efficient and less harmful to the environment can turn them into motivating tasks. Get the gloves on, turn up the music and follow our tips on how to do common household chores in an eco-friendly and fun way.
Reducing water usage
Install water-efficient appliances around the house if you can and turn the tap off when it isn’t needed. Only use what you need and get into the habit of doing just that. If you have a shower and a bath, mix up your routine every now and then. When bathing, fill up with hot water first below the halfway point, and then add in cold water so you can create the right temperature more efficiently. You may find you need less hot water than your first go.
Green laundering
The most efficient way to do your laundry is to wash with full loads to use less water and energy. But, if you find that you have a small load or just a few tea towels and clothing items that you could do with cleaning and using, don’t forget good old-fashioned handwashing. Wash with cold water first and use low temperatures for the washing machine.
Nowadays, we’re more apt at recycling and some local councils provide households with food caddies and green bins for our food waste. Make sure you’re always on top of the stock of your biodegradable food bin liners and that you’re using them! Food waste is also brilliant for composting, so you can help your garden as well as the environment.
Being more methodical with your car journeys
You may be the household taxi driver, dropping off everybody to their clubs, parties, schools and workplaces. On top of that, you need to do shopping trips and any other errands. Have you thought about your fuel wastage here and carbon footprint? Often, people get a bit complacent and end up heading out a few times in a short space of time to end up covering more mileage when they could have got a few errands done in one trip. Taking the time to plan out your journeys better, thinking about grocery shops and other trips that could be done on that same outing can help you save on fuel and money.
Using the same bags for your groceries
The constant increase in the prices of plastic shopping bags drills into us how important it is to minimise our plastic bag usage, so we mustn’t forget our own reusable shopping bags. You can get bags for life and fashionable or plain shopping bags that you can use time and again. You can even get shopping bags that come in small easy-to-carry-and-store bags. Use a rucksack to help carry loads on your back, and keep those reusable bags in the car ready.
Gardening for green waste
When you need to do the lovely chore of weeding, or clearing up garden waste, remember your green bins. All the green waste collected (which includes compostable food waste) gets transported to a composting facility in the UK, where the compost created gets used in farming, landscaping, horticulture, and as a soil improver.
Eco refills
There are many refillable cleaning products out there now. Many brands are creating pouches or big tubs of cleaning products like washing up liquid and hand wash for you to refill at home. Once the containers or pouches you have used to refill bottles at home are empty, you just simply send them back to the company.
Zero-waste shops
There are brilliant zero-waste shops on the rise, where you can go in and only top up what you need, therefore reducing packaging, whether it’s cereal, pasta, oils, toiletries etc. Some even offer eco-friendly cleaning products, like reusable bamboo towels, biodegradable coconut kitchen scourers, eco cleaning brushes, and biodegradable dishwasher tablets. So, from topping up fridges and cupboards to household cleaning, you can do it all in a significantly more eco-friendly way with zero-waste shops.
Sweep over vacuuming
Stick to sweeping where you can, especially on harder floors. We may turn to the vacuum out of habit, but you’ll be using more energy each time, when you may only need to sweep. Plus, when your household cleaning soundtrack is motivating you, sweeping won’t drown it out like a vacuum will, and a sweeping brush makes a great home concert microphone stand.
There’s also the mechanical carpet sweeper that doesn’t use power, but uses brushrolls to lift dirt – they’re also great for spot cleaning. And if you do use the vacuum, you can get energy-saving models; just remember to empty them out regularly so that they’re always working efficiently. If the vacuum is full or near to, it will have to work harder, using more energy.
Declutter and donate
Next time you’re doing a clear-out, think about donating or even upcycling. Fabrics and clothes work great for arts and crafts or house DIY projects. Decluttering is not only brilliant for the whole household to make more space and to improve organisation, but it works wonders on the mind and can be very therapeutic. Sorting and decluttering can create order in our lives and helps us organise our own minds. And you may be surprised what you find or forget what treasures you had stored away.
Eco-friendly cleaning
With vinegar, water and baking soda, you can get a whole lot of cleaning done without having to stock up constantly on fancy cleaning products, building up plastic in the house. Some examples are with:
Oven cleaning:
Mix a half a cup of baking soda with a little water to make a paste
Apply the paste on the inside of the oven, staying away from heating elements (gloves recommended)
Allow the paste to sit for half a day
Use a damp cloth to clean out the dried paste
Spray some vinegar on any baking soda residue
Wipe the oven clean with a damp rag
Enjoy a sparkly looking oven again!
Cleaning the fridge:
Create a solution of vinegar and water, using equal parts
Empty the fridge’s contents
Removes drawers and shelves
Spray down the fridge with the vinegar-water solution
Let it sit whilst you clean the drawers and shelves
Then, scrub and wipe down the fridge
Before putting back the contents and food items, make sure they are all clean on the outside
Condiments:
Again, using a vinegar and water solution, simply wipe down condiment bottles to erase germs and grub from those greasy hands that have passed them around.
Recycle pet bedding
Double check with your local council and recycling, but in general, pet bedding can go in your green food and garden recycling bins. So that’s hay, straw, chipped wood, sawdust and wood shavings that can all go in the green bin.
Microfibre cloths
Sponges can get the job done, but they often are disposable because of the germs they harbour and plastic deterioration. Paper towels aren’t always effective and you have to go through rolls and rolls. With microfibre cloths, you get high-quality cleaning because of the technology of the fibres designed to pick up and wipe away germs and dirt effectively. They’re also reusable and machine washable, so they’re more hygienic than sponges and retain fewer germs.
Now that you’ve got some inspiration in how to make your household chores more eco-friendly, it’s time to put that playlist on and get started! Then after, why not unwind with some relaxing candles – saving on electricity.
For natural and organic ropes, washing lines, airers, cords and twines for DIY or crafts, we’ve got it all here at Rope Source! Contact us for any more info on our products, or simply browse our site.
