No conservatory is complete without beautiful conservatory furniture to relax in. This article reveals some of the important issues to consider while selecting furniture for your conservatory or sunroom.

Your conservatory is a light and airy structure, that's comfortable and yet sheltered against the weather. You can use it for all sorts of activities, like entertaining friends, relaxing after a hard day's work or playing with the kids. It is a room that draws the garden into your home. The correct choice of furniture will mean that your conservatory is used to it's fullest potential.

Top Tips for Selecting Conservatory Furniture

If you use cane furniture in your conservatory or sunroom check with the manufacturer whether it is also suitable for use in the garden as well. This way you will get double usage out of it.

Cover your furniture when not in use, whether it's outside in the garden or in the conservatory.

Choose a pattern for your cushions you know you can live with for a good number of years.

If you have a smaller conservatory, choose furniture that is compact with cushions in neutral colours. It will make your conservatory look more spacious.

Check with the manufacturer whether you can remove the cushion covers for (dry) cleaning.

To reduce fading of your conservatory furniture and also to reduce heat in your conservatory, consider putting up sun blinds. That way you can enjoy your conservatory all year long without having to worry about fading of your furniture cushions.

See your conservatory as an extension to your room or kitchen. Use colours that blend in with the rest of your colour scheme.

Make sure that your conservatory cane furniture and its cushions are fire retardant. Just check with the manufacturer.

Cane (Rattan) is the most popular material used conservatories today. The main qualities of cane are elasticity, lightness, durability and toughness and therefore cane is used in a lot of ways. Think of baskets, hats, kitchen utensils, chairs seats, and, of course, whole pieces of furniture. Even bridges have been known to be made entirely out of cane.

Other materials used in the construction of furniture for conservatories and sunrooms are: Wicker, Cast Iron, Hardwood, Glass, Stone and Terracotta.

Barry Dunlop

Portable dishwashers are just the ticket for those with less than enough space for a more permanent and heavier dishwasher. They range in widths from a slim 18 inches to a maximum of about 24 inches for the "larger" portables. In general, they are also less expensive. They usually run anywhere from $200 to $500, rather than to $600 or more as with permanent units.

Portable dishwashers have wheels on them. You can roll your portable dishwasher to the storeroom if you don't plan on using it for a while (and would rather opt for hand-washing). It's also much easier to maneuver, for those who plan on moving to a new home in the near future.

They usually contain two rolling baskets for placing dishes into. They don't usually boast the usual whistles and bells of large units, but they do have enough settings to choose from. For example, many units have a super-powerful cycle for pots and pans. Some also offer an option for boosting the water temperature when the house's hot water supply is low.

To operate a portable dishwasher, you must roll it over to the sink and connect it to a hose. That part is easy. Just screw the hose to the sink's plumbing. Make sure you won't be using the sink during the machine's cycles, and also be sure to unclog the sink first, if necessary. Drano or Liquid Plumr should do the trick. Also, be sure to rinse dishes before putting them in the machine. This will prevent the number of cases of clogging and grime buildup. If it ever does get plugged up, emitting a black gunk that ends up on your dishes, try scrubbing the walls down with vinegar and running the machine with a cup of vinegar.

Almost all manufacturers of standard, full-size dishwashers also offer a portable model. This includes Bosch, KitchenAid, Maytag, Whirlpool, GE, and Kenmore.

A portable dishwasher's top acts as a countertop in many households, a godsend when space is at a premium. Alternatively, some portable dishwashers are made to sit atop an existing countertop in your kitchen. These have smaller capacities, as one might guess. But their performance is every bit as good as a floor-bound unit.

Perhaps the best part about portable dishwashers is that they are simpler machines than standard dishwashers. This means less repair work is needed, and less often.

You can purchase your new portable dishwasher at Sears, Menards, Target, ABC Warehouse, or any other large appliance retailer. They usually offer 1-year parts and labor warranties. But with care and attention, your new dishwasher can last for years.

Dishwashers Info provides detailed information on standard and portable dishwashers, dishwasher parts and repair, and reviews of the best dishwasher manufacturers and products. Dishwashers Info is the sister site of Water Softeners Web.

You've got so much tidying to do, so little time. So what's a person to do? You can either lower your standards and just ignore the mess, or you can think smart and keep your house tidy with little effort.

Unfortunately there is no way to avoid housework. But you can keep your house clean and sparkling in less than 30 minutes a day, if you just get organized.

The very first thing you need to do is gather all your cleaning supplies and place them in one spot, organized neatly. I do mean "all" your cleaning supplies, the glass cleaner, the furniture polish, the wax, the cleaner, the dusting cloth ? all of it! Next organize it in groups that make sense as to how you would use it. So if you're going to do the windows you just have to grab all your window supplies, or if your cleaning the bathroom, you'd grab all the bathroom supplies. Use the old KISS formula ? "Keep It Simple Stupid." Don't make extra work for yourself.

Next place a clothes basket in every room where dirty clothes might land. Then train your household members to drop their dirty clothes in the hamper, and not on the floor. If it's in their room, it should be as easy to use as the floor. If you've got kids, get creative, with a hamper that's their favorite cartoon character or action figure. Make it fun!

Assign duties to other members of your house. Kids, even younger ones, can be good helpers. Give them tasks that they are capable of completing. As an incentive you can reward them. You can take them to a matinee or give them a treat if they complete their chores. If they get an allowance make them work for it. No kids, then you're on your own, unless you have a modern day husband who participates in the household chores.

Be logical in your cleaning. There are two strategies that work well. With the first, you do a thorough cleaning once or twice a week. You choose a task, then start at one end of the house and move completely through the house until that task is done. Then start your next task. You'll save valuable time by not jumping from one task to the other.

The second strategy is favored by working woman and men, because it takes less than 30 minutes every day, and you don't have to look forward to cleaning house on your days off. With this strategy you do one room at a time, and set time limits as to how much time you'll spend in each room.. So lets say the kitchen gets 8 minutes, Bathroom gets 5, bedrooms get 5 each, and on and on, depending on how many rooms you have. You can adjust the 30 minutes up or down, but it should never be more than 45 minutes.

In the kitchen, wipe down the stove, fridge and dispose of any food that needs to be tossed. Wipe down the counter tops and the sink. Empty the dishwasher. Sweep the floor and give it a quick mopping.

In the bathroom pick up dirty laundry and toss in the hamper, wipe down the tub, shower, and sink. Clean the toilet last. Mop the floor if it needs it.

Bedrooms just need the beds made, dirty laundry picked up, and clothes put away. A quick dusting and vacuuming every third day is sufficient.

Tidy the living room, pickup books and "stuff" that are lying around. Wipe off tables. Dusting and vacuuming every second or third day is sufficient.

By doing laundry amongst other activities, you'll save yourself more time. Throw a load in while you're watching TV or making super. Fit it into other activities, so you're not faced with ten loads at the end of the week.

Getting organized and cleaning your house will become a breeze. You'll have less stress worrying about it and more free time to enjoy the things you like to do!

Keith Kingston

They look so lifelike, that time and time again people bend to smell them and touch them. Across the nation, silk flowers in crystal-clear acrylic "water" are showing up in homes, cafes, restaurants and offices. At a fraction of the cost of constantly replacing fresh-cut flowers, and fooling everyone into thinking that they ARE fresh-cut flowers, these arrangements are a sensible decorating idea. + How is this done? It isn't as difficult as one might think. The most important thing to remember when making one of these arrangements is that you have to use very high quality silk flowers for the illusion to work. The acrylic "water" may look like the real thing, but if the flowers are obviously silk, no one is going to be fooled. The ultimate goal with these wonderful arrangements is to fool people into thinking that they are real, fresh-cut flowers. That being said, step one would be to choose your flowers. Step two would be to choose your container. Naturally, this would have to be a clear, glass container for the illusion to work. Step three - decide what materials you would like to include in the arrangement.

For example, some arrangements look best with some clear glass gems or some river rocks, or perhaps even some small sea shells at the bottom of the vase. Once that's decided, you'll want to do a dry run before mixing your acrylic and pouring it into your vase. If there are a lot of flowers involved, tie them off with string that you can later cut once the acrylic has hardened. Liquid Illusions is one of the best acrylic water kits on the market today, and very simple to use. The directions are included, and you can mix your acrylic right in the container that the kit comes in! Let your arrangement sit still for 24 to 48 hours in order for the acrylic to set, and there you have it! Your very own Floral Illusion!

These wonderful arrangements are replacing fresh cut flowers in homes, hotels, offices, cafes and restaurants across the nation and around the world. They last forever and only require light dusting from time to time. Whether you make your own, or purchase a pre-made arrangement, you're sure to enjoy this new craze in decorating!

About the Author: Elizabeth Knick is the owner of Floral Illusions Floral Illusions specializes in taking high quality silk flowers and arranging them in crystal-clear acrylic "water". They have over 6 pages of arrangements to choose from, ranging from a simple red rose in a bud vase to a large arrangement of tall Calla Lilies, and everything in between. Prices are very reasonable, and there's something for every budget.

Floral Illusions now carries all items necessary for do-it-yourselfers to make their very own "Floral Illusions" at home! Silk flowers, vases, acrylic water kits and more!

If you're tired of purchasing fresh-cut arrangements only to have the wither and die within a few days, perhaps it's time you checked out Floral Illusions and the silk flower craze that's sweeping the decorating world!