Living in a small London apartment can be challenging, especially when it comes to decorating. But one simple trick can make a big difference: painting. Using the right colours and techniques makes your space feel bigger, brighter, and more open. In this blog post, we'll share some painting hacks that will help you maximise the potential of your small London apartment.

Choose light colours

Lighter shades such as white, beige, and pastels create a sense of space and reflect natural light, making your apartment feel brighter and more open. These colours are great for small apartments, making the room more spacious and airy. On the other hand, darker colours can make a room feel smaller and can absorb light, so it's best to stick to light and bright colours.

Paint the ceiling

Painting the ceiling the same colour as your walls is a good idea. This approach can create a seamless transition between the two, giving the illusion of more height and space. Using a lighter colour for the ceiling is essential, making the room feel taller and more open. This is an excellent technique in small London apartments where the ceiling can be pretty low

Use accent walls

Accent walls are a great way to add a pop of colour or interest to a room without overwhelming it. Choose a colour that complements the rest of the room, and don't be afraid to experiment with different shades and patterns. Painting one wall in a contrasting colour can help to create depth and a sense of perspective in a small space.

Go for glossy finishes

High-gloss finishes reflect light and make walls appear smoother, giving the impression of more space. These finishes are great for small London apartments as they create the illusion of more space and make a room feel brighter and more open. However, be aware that high-gloss finishes can also show imperfections more quickly, so ensure the walls are smooth and well-prepared before applying the paint. 

Paint the trim

Painting baseboards, door frames, and window frame the same colour as the walls can make the room feel more cohesive and visually larger. By painting the trim the same colour as the walls, you create an unbroken visual line that makes the space feel bigger and more open. This technique is especially effective when using light colours.

Use vertical stripes

Painting vertical stripes on the walls can create the illusion of more height and make the space feel taller. This is an excellent technique in small London apartments where the ceiling can be quite low. Vertical stripes can also add interest to a room and create a sense of movement. 

Paint furniture

Painting light colours can help it blend in with the walls, creating a sense of continuity and making the space feel less cluttered. This technique can also create a visual break in a space and add interest to a room. Just be sure to choose the right paint for your furniture and properly prepare the surface before painting.

Choose the right sheen

Choosing the right sheen is important when painting a small London apartment. Matte finishes can absorb light and make walls look dull, whereas satin or eggshell finishes have a slight shine that reflects light and makes walls look brighter. Satin or eggshell finishes are great for walls, making the room more optimistic and open.

Keep it simple

Use fewer colours or patterns, making a small space feel overwhelming and cluttered. Instead, please stick to one or two colours and use them throughout the space. This will create a cohesive look and make the room feel more spacious. Keeping patterns minimum is also essential, as they can make a space feel smaller.

Consider painting the floor

Painting a wooden or concrete floor in a neutral colour can make the space feel larger and brighter. A light-coloured floor can also create a seamless transition between the walls and the floor, giving the illusion of more space. Just be sure to prepare the surface before painting correctly and to use a paint specifically designed for floors to ensure durability and longevity. This technique can be especially effective in small London apartments where space is at a premium.

In short, painting is a simple and effective way to make your small London apartment feel bigger and brighter. By using light colours, painting the ceiling, and incorporating accent walls, you can create the illusion of more space and depth. Using glossy finishes, painting the trim, and using vertical stripes can also help to create the illusion of more height and make the room feel taller. Finally, keeping it simple with just a few colours and patterns and painting the floor can create a cohesive look and make the room more spacious. With these painting hacks, you can transform your small London apartment into a comfortable and inviting space.

If you want to hire professional painters and decorators, consider APA Painters and Decorators.

© APA Painters and Decorators

Store-bought cleaning products come with many disadvantages you can easily avoid by switching to healthier, eco-friendly alternatives. While most homeowners are used to applying aggressive cleaners to take care of stains and grime around the house.

Here are the Seven Amazing Natural Recipes that can do the Job just as Efficiently without Posing any Threat to Your Health

All-purpose cleaner

You no longer have to search for an all-purpose cleaner that works on multiple surfaces, as a simple mixture of white vinegar and water can tackle even the most stubborn stain you may encounter. Take an empty spray bottle and mix equal amounts of white distilled vinegar and water. Shake the bottle well before spraying the eco-friendly cleaner on a microfiber cloth or directly on the surface. If you want, you can even add essential oils to the solution to improve its fragrance.

Drain refresher

If unpleasant odours are lingering in the drain, you should deal with the problem with eco-friendly ingredients like baking soda and white vinegar. First, pour half a cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by the same amount of white vinegar. After that, you should let the hot water run for a few minutes to wash away grime, together with nasty smells.

Scrubbing paste for the bathroom

Bathroom tiles are tough to keep spotless, as stains always find their way on the beautiful surface. To green-clean the bathroom tiles, you should prepare an effective scrubbing paste with a quarter cup of baking soda and a tablespoon of liquid dish soap. Next, add as much white vinegar as necessary to obtain the desired texture. Apply the paste on the stained surface in the bathroom, allow it to sit for a while, scrub with a stiff brush and rinse thoroughly.

Toilet bowl cleaning remedy

If you need to deep clean a severely contaminated toilet bowl, don’t grab that aggressive chemical cleaner. Instead, pour down a cup of borax and allow it to sit overnight. The following day scrubs with the toilet brush and flush to wash away grime. If your toilet bowl doesn’t require deep cleaning, a cup of baking soda can also do the trick.

Natural hardwood floor cleaner

Hardwood floors are pretty easy to keep clean, yet you should check for stains and get rid of them from time to time. As wooden floors don’t tolerate abrasive or aggressive cleaning products, prepare your gentle cleaning remedy with white vinegar. Fill a bucket with water and add half a cup of white vinegar to make an eco-friendly hardwood floor cleaner. Mop the surface without causing extreme moisture and allow it to dry before using it again. Rely on the same cleaning agents if your floors are tiled.

Carpet deodoriser

Carpeted floors trap all sorts of unwanted smells you can banish with the help of baking soda. Make an eco-friendly carpet deodoriser with a cup of baking soda and 10-12 drops of your favourite essential oils. Make sure you use colourless essential oils, as other types might stain the carpeted surface. With your mixture ready, sprinkle it all over the carpet and let it sit overnight. The following day vacuum clean thoroughly and enjoys a freshly scented carpeted floor.

Cleaner for your coffee maker

The coffee maker could hide lots of germs and bacteria you need to eliminate to keep the appliance clean and healthy. The green cleaning procedure is straightforward – add a cup of white vinegar to the water reservoir of the coffee maker and run a few brewing cycles to eliminate contamination. Don’t worry about the vinegar smell, as it will disappear completely.

Unhealthy chemical-based cleaners are one of many options to keep the house perfectly clean. Try these simple eco-friendly recipes to refresh or disinfect any surface at home safely.

© Domestic Cleaners Ltd

With a tastefully selected carpet, you can drastically improve your home’s overall appearance. Carpets bring warmth to any room, but one of their greatest disadvantages is staining. While any type of flooring solution can get stained, carpets are the toughest to clean. To banish stains from the carpet, you should adopt stain removal hacks that are effective and easy to follow. Here are simple guidelines on how to rescue the carpet from nasty stains:

• Apply only water – before you go for a more complicated cleaning method, try to get rid of the carpet stain using only water. Believe it or not, clean water works on many carpet messes, especially those that are non-greasy. Just take a clean towel and soak it in water, then gently dab on the stain and let the carpet dry. Remember to never rub or scrub on the stain, to avoid spreading it on the carpet. Also, choose a white towel, otherwise, you risk colour transfer from the towel to the carpet. Do not over-wet the carpet to prevent mould or mildew from appearing.

• Apply white vinegar – as a powerful cleaning agent, white distilled vinegar works wonders when treating carpet stains. Get rid of pet accidents on the carpet by mixing a few teaspoons of white vinegar with two cups of water. Use a clean white towel soaked in the mixture and gently dab the affected area of the carpet. After that, rinse with water. This stain removal hack is not only effective against numerous types of carpet stains, but it is also eco-friendly and safe for your health.

• Apply liquid dish soap – another harmless trick to banish carpet stains is a mixture of a cup of water and a few drops of liquid dish soap. Just like you did before, grab a white towel and soak it in the cleaning solution, then dab on the stain. In case you are faced with a stubborn carpet stain, you can upgrade this mixture by adding a few tablespoons of white distilled vinegar. After that reapply the cleaning remedy, dab again and rinse with water to get rid of the mess.

• Apply baking soda – just like white vinegar, baking soda is an eco-friendly ingredient with lots of cleaning applications around the house, including carpet cleaning. Baking soda is the ultimate cleaning remedy when it comes to greasy stains on the carpet. It is also the smartest choice to neutralize nasty carpet odours without chemicals. Sprinkle some baking soda on the carpet stain and then spray the area with your vinegar and dish soap cleaning solution. The mixture should look like a paste as it has dried. Let the stained surface stay covered with the mixture for a while and after that vacuum cleaner to gather residue.

• Apply shaving cream – common dirt stains or oily messes can be successfully removed from the carpet with the help of shaving cream. Apply the product to the contaminated surface by rubbing it. Wait a few minutes for the cream to dry and wipe the residue with a wet towel. For particularly stubborn stains you might have to repeat the cleaning procedure several times to banish the stain completely.

• Hire a cleaning service – in some cases, carpet stains are so tough that DIY cleaning approaches might fail you. In those moments the best you can do to rescue the stained carpet is to have it cleaned by professionals. Carpet cleaning experts rely on the most efficient cleaning techniques to tackle any carpet stain, no matter how old or stubborn the mess is.

Stick to these carpet cleaning strategies to easily defeat any carpet stain and make the carpet look brand-new.

© London Carpet Cleaners

There is so much love and joy pets bring the moment they enter a home. However, if your floors are carpeted, the presence of a four-legged friend will make cleaning jobs more complicated than you imagine. Fur and muddy paws on the carpet will be issues you need to deal with daily, which is why you should approach carpet cleaning wisely. Read on to discover amazing carpet cleaning tips that will make your life easier when living with a pet: 

• Clean wet messes quickly – carpets don’t react well when affected by water and if your baby dog or cat has had an accident on the surface, you need to remove the liquids right away. Grab paper towels to soak up as much of the mess as possible or use a handheld extractor to simplify the procedure. Handheld extractors are life-savers when living with a pet since they suck more liquids and they are pretty easy to keep clean. Once the wet surface seems dry enough, you can move on with applying a cleaning remedy to prevent staining and nasty carpet smells.

• Green clean the carpet – chances are your fluffy friend spends numerous hours playing or sleeping on the carpet. Given the huge contact your pet has with the carpet, you should always steer clear of toxic products that might be dangerous to the health of your beloved pet. Instead, pick eco-friendly carpet cleaning approaches that are just as effective as store-bought products, but at the same time, they contain no dangerous chemicals. In fact, you don’t have to purchase eco-friendly carpet cleaners at the store. Make your own cleaning remedies with natural ingredients like baking soda and white vinegar to banish pet stains from the carpet or tackle unpleasant pet odours.

• Keep your pet clean – imagine taking your dog out for a walk on a rainy day and forgetting to wash its paws and dry its fur as the walk is over. Obviously, you don’t want the entire mess to land on your carpet, that’s why you should stay serious about keeping your dog clean. Don’t let your pet spend time on the carpet unless it is perfectly clean, otherwise, grime and smells will be transferred from the pet to the carpet. Another thing to consider is the fact that a pet’s claws can scratch and damage the carpet’s fibres. To prevent carpet wear and tear, have the paws of your furry friend well-groomed. Also, brush the pet as often as possible to remove loose hair that will otherwise find its way on the carpet.

• Buy the best vacuum – having a powerful vacuum cleaner to keep the carpet dust-free is always a good idea, but when living with a pet it is an investment you need to make. The problem is, pets running around your place cause more dust than usual and most of it lands on the carpet. In order to rest assured the air at your place is clean and healthy, purchase the best vacuum you can afford and work with it at least two times a week. This way you will be able to banish a great amount of dust, dirt and pet hair that might compromise air quality indoors.

• Hire a pro – perhaps you are used to maintaining the carpet by yourself, relying solely on your vacuum cleaner. However, with a pet at home, it is crucial to book a professional carpet cleaning service. Experienced carpet cleaners will improve the environment at home by deep cleaning the carpet, thus eliminating not only pet stains, but nasty germs and bacteria trapped in the carpet. Hire a pro every six months to keep the carpet super clean.

Your lovely pet will be just as tempted to spend time on the soft carpet as any other member of your family. Let the clean carpet and your pet co-exist with the help of these tips.

© London Carpet Cleaners

From refreshing the bathroom to dealing with carpet stains, most cleaning jobs require a certain amount of time devoted to cleaning. However, you don’t have to handle all chores at once, losing numerous hours of cleaning. The smart way to organise your cleaning schedule is to complete a few quick cleaning jobs every day. Check these simple chores here:

• Make the bed – believe it or not, a picture-perfect bed goes a long way to improving the overall looks of your bedroom. No matter the style of the premise, a made bed is the way to keep the space warm and welcoming. Furthermore, it will take you no more than five minutes to make the bed. Deal with the task every morning, so that you can improve the vision of your bedroom and come home to a cosy premise.

• Declutter the hallway – while dealing with all the clutter at once may seem like a time-consuming chore, you shouldn’t declutter the hallway every day. Given the fact that it is items of daily use that are the greatest clutter-makers, take advantage of smart storage solutions to take control over hallway clutter. Shoes, umbrellas, gloves and similar items need to be well-organised in suitable drawers or freestanding baskets so that you can prevent chaos in the hallway. A few decorative hangers, for example, work wonders by minimising clutter and adding extra style in the hallway.

• Run the dishwasher daily – dirty dishes piling up in the kitchen sink certainly is not how a clean kitchen should look like, that’s why you need to take full advantage of your dishwasher. Once ready with your dinner, load the dishwasher with greasy plates and knives and leave it that way until the morning. On the next day run the dishwasher and as the cycle ends, empty the machine to get it ready for the next load of dishes.

• Keep bathroom vanity clean – to enjoy the freshness of your clean bathroom, don’t forget to clean the vanity before you leave the premises in the morning. Keep your brushes and makeup nicely organised in storage baskets and wipe vanity surfaces daily. You can keep a few reusable bamboo cotton cloths in the bathroom so that you wipe surfaces in a flash.

• Get a handheld vacuum – this may look like an investment you are unwilling to make now, yet a light handheld vacuum cleaner will help you to address small messes on time. Instead of dragging your heavy vacuum cleaner with you whenever a tiny accident occurs, purchase a light cordless alternative to save time and effort. Use your new cleaning tool for quick clean-ups like going over high-traffic areas or collecting crumbs after breakfast.

• Take out the trash – you don’t want stinky trash compromising the fresh air in your kitchen, that’s why you should never forget to take out the trash in the morning or after dinner. While completing this chore, give your trash can a quick wipe with an antibacterial wipe to keep germs at bay. To keep the amount of litter under control, you can also put a separate trash can in each room at home – the bedroom, the bathroom or even the home office space.

• Put stuff away – you know that clutter is tough to deal with and to keep it at bay, you need to put your things away once you are done using them. It’s a task concerning mainly stuff of daily use. Make sure your kids are well-familiar with this rule as well, to prevent clutter from appearing.

Remember to address these quick cleaning jobs every day and you will manage to preserve your home sparkly clean for a long time.

© London Domestic Cleaners