Julie Dana is an Accredited Staging Professional and interior decorator who has been styling homes for almost 10 years. She is a contributor and co-author to several publications including, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Staging Your Home to Sell . In her downtime, Ms. Dana enjoys mentoring new professionals and being a wife and mother to her two wonderful sons.
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This may seem a bit strange to blog about, but I found myself faced with a particularly stubborn clog today in a toilet that was threatening to overflow in a serious way.
I had plunged it unsuccessfully for a good half hour and after calling my husband and our plumber (neither of which had anything very helpful to add), I went to the web, where I found some interesting tips. And in the spirit of sharing any helpful home knowledge I have with my subscribers, here goes!
Turns out there are a few solutions:
1.Sprinkle baking soda into the toilet bowl and let sit for a few minutes. If you see bubbles begin to form, it is likely the water will drain on its own, so let the baking soda do its magic.
2.Pour a small amount of warm, soapy water into the bowl. Again let sit for a few minutes and see if the situation resolves itself.
3.Unbend a wire hanger and try to gently push it into the s-curve of the toilet to see if you can find the clog. I have to admit this seemed the least useful, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
4.Plunge! With a good, heavy duty plunger, both hands and a great deal of determination.
Maybe it was all the plunging, but after trying the baking soda and warm soapy water the water finally drained!
I am sure you have heard of the expression that the cobbler’s children have the worse shoes. That is how I have been feeling lately. I have lived in my home for 12 years. The downstairs bathroom has had the same wallpaper since we moved in. It has been on my project list to tackle for years and I have just not gotten around to it.
So I thought if I tell the world (that is you my dear readers), it will keep me accountable. So I am going to work on my own bathroom and keep you updated.
If you don’t read about my progress you can push/encourage/taunt me on!
As you know, bathrooms and kitchens are some of the most well used rooms in the house. When these rooms are dated, it makes you whole house feel dated. Updating a bathroom doesn’t have to break the bank. Simple switches and a gallon of paint can shave off the decades.
In this photo the toilet and the sink was harvest gold from the early 1970’s.
New classic white toilet around $200
A new sink dropped into place of the old: $200.
Paint for for the vanity cabinet $20
Total change less than $500.
Now it is ready to style and make it fun!
If you need help shaving off decades, I will be glad to guide you. I also have resource of great painters, contractors and other tradespeople to help you if you are not a DIY guy/gal.
This bathroom makeover was a fabulous transformation in a short time. It was the one and only bathroom in this 1900’s house. The makeover had to be quick and it had to be great. Enter The Home Stylist:
Before:
After:
What do you think? Pretty neat, uh?!
The cost: Less than $250.
Changes include: new toliet seat, new mirror and lights
How can I help you make a great transformation? Give me a call (716) 912-1581
Not long ago I was doing a Home staging consultation with a lovely couple in a nice upscale neighborhood. The house was built in the late 1980’s. The house was large and the kids are now grown so the owners were looking to downsize to a condo.
The conversation went like this:
Me: One of the changes that will benefit you when selling your house is to change out the forest green toilet and sink in this bath.
Homeowner: We just did that last week! The old toilet tank top was cracked so we replaced the whole toliet. We had to special order this color to match the sink.
Me: Hummm, Ohhh. (stumble for words). Usually when you have to special order a color that means it is not a common color people are buying now. My recommendation would have been to replace the toilet and sink with white.
This is not the actual toilet or bathroom. I wanted to protect their identity. I really do (usually) love pro-active clients. When staging your home, you want colors and fixtures that are on-trend and in demand.
A recent question I received in The Home Stylist mailbox:
“I was wondering what your opinion was on me keeping my really-good-shape pinkish tub – or spend the $500 to get it refinished in white? All the rest of the bathroom will be white w/blue pearlescent accent tile in shower, and a tan floor. I’m just about done with getting bathroom remodeled but I do still have one small wall that has wallpaper with the small pink roses that I still love – so I thought maybe I could get away with it? What do you think?”
My answer:
Even though you are not getting ready to sell (at least not for the next couple years) I would definitely change the tub to white. It is more universally appealing and will shave decades off the room. Bathrooms are something you use everyday, several times a day. You want the bathroom to assist you in making you feel good, refreshed and up-to-date. A pink bathtub is an old color (like a grandma house) has limiting decorating choices. I also recommend removing the wallpaper. It sounds like it is been up for a while and a dated motif. A fresh new paint color or a hip new wallpaper will start you day with a smile and a lift to your spirits. These small cosmetic changes are well worth the money.
