Top Tips for Upholstery Cleaning

Upholstery is a real challenge for home makers but don’t worry, just as all the other challenges you have faced it you will be winning it too. Very often home makers have to face spills stains on the carpets, clothes and other stuffs. Here are few tips, which can give you a respite from the problems of the stained clothes or Furnitures that have often poised a threat to your peace.

Considerations that Need Attention

There are certain kinds of dirt, dirt or stains that may be handled by home treatments as well and not just by professionals. But before starting your treatment you must consider the following aspects

• The type of fabric
• The severity and location of the stain
• And the nature of stain
If you are not sure regarding the type of fabric, you can call up the retailer and ask him. In case of synthetic material, you can safely treat on it since the material is made for ease of maintenance. Yet you should consider the treatment in some hidden area first. But if it is made from more than fifty per cent cotton then you may have to call on professional cleaners.

Understand the Cleaning Codes

Before applying any kind of cleaner you must first look into your furniture or other stuff and follow the instructions after finding the following codes-

1. W: this code means that water can be used in cleaning this furniture.

2. S: this code states that a cleaning solvent can be used on this upholstery.

3. SW: this code means that you can use water as well as solvent cleaners on the upholstery.

4. X: this code states that neither water nor any kind of solvent must be used (in this type of furniture either brushes or simple vacuum must be used). It must be dry cleaned.

Kinds of Stains

There are numerous kinds of stains, but the most common is spilling of tea or coffee and milk. Here are some easy tips how you may handle some kinds of stains-

1. Coffee: For removing coffee stains you can use a combination of dish detergent, vinegar, water and dab on it. You will notice that the coffee stain will disappear.

2. Mold: For treatment of mold you will have to use hydrogen per oxide quarter cup and color safe bleach quarter teaspoon. First clean the area with the mixture and remove excess of solution with clean water. The stains will be removed after drying.

3. Baby Food: Children are in the habit of dropping food everywhere and a simple wipe off with the baby wipes are good enough. The wipes have the right consistency of soap and water, and they simply wipe off.

4. Crayon Stains: Crayon can be ideally handled by using tooth paste that is not gel based. Use the technique in a short area and as soon as you are done rub it off.

5. Oil and Grease: These may be the toughest of stains and it may take time to remove it. You will have to use salt and corn-starch, sprinkling them on the stain and let the oil be absorbed. Then you can put some powder dust.

For daily care, you can use a vacuum cleaner for best results. Special attachments are found in them that can remove dust even from smart corners. Also keep a spot remover handy you can find it at your local market, and it is also remarkably affordable. Always try not to use any water based cleaners on your upholstery.

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Happy Diwali!

The festival of lights is here! It’s my favorite – a day when the house is adorned with flowers, colorful rangolis decorate the entrance, diyas are lit all over. A day for family and loved ones. A night of twinkling lights, of visiting friends and neighbors and relatives, and yes, of those infuriating fireworks that go on until all hours of the night!

I typically spend the first half of the day making a rangoli outside the door with flower petals, while the husband hangs garlands of marigold and Ashoka leaves at the entrance, in the balcony and on some of the doors. After relaxing in the afternoon, it’s time for pooja (prayers) in the evening, then we spend a quiet evening listening to music, drinking wine, talking. Bliss!

This year, my mother will be in town for Diwali, so we’ll go over to a cousin’s house after the pooja. That should be fun!

The window display at The Wishing Chair, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi

Here’s wishing all of you a very, very happy and prosperous Diwali. Be safe. Be happy!

If you’d like some more information on the festival of Diwali, take a look at these articles:

It’s the festival of lights! (An older post that gives some details on Diwali)
Light that lamp (A brief look at how and why Diwali is celebrated by different religions, from thehindu.com)

An Ode to the Forgotten Art of Letter Writing

When was the last time you wrote a letter? Or received one?

I received two in the span of two weeks. The first was from @raghavmodi along with a book that I won at the end of The Sunday Book Club Twitter chat. (More details on the chat to come soon, so watch this space for more!) The second was from Random House India, with a really cute jute bag they sent me.

And both times, I felt an irrational urge to sit down with paper and pen and write a letter back. But in this digital age, when I’m connected with everyone “real time” through email, What’s App, Facebook and Twitter, there’s no real need to write anymore.

Lost are the joys of receiving letters…of watching out for the mailman to drop the mail off…of sitting down with a pen poised over a blank sheet of paper, gathering my thoughts before I begin to draft a response. Now things are immediate. As soon as something of note happens, my sister in New York knows about it through What’s App, my parents in Pune are given all the details breathlessly over the phone or via SMS, and friends get updates through Facebook and Twitter.

In a few years more, letter writing may indeed be a lost art. And wouldn’t that be a shame?

But there are some noteworthy initiatives out there. Like the Daily Rumpus’ Letters in the Mail, through which subscribers get letters from famous people three to four times a month for a fee. Some of the letters were typed, others handwritten. Some include illustrations, all were signed. They are then photo-copied and sent to subscribers.

The real nostalgia that I feel is for actual letter exchanges. The ones where you can see where the writer hesitated, where they crossed out an unformed thought, where their pen ran out of ink, or leaked out and blotted the paper. Spots where tears were shed or water was spilled. Little flourishes like a quick sketch or a trellis decorating the margins.

In my nostalgia, I sat down and went through the letters I exchanged with my boyfriend (now the husband) when we were dating. I was in Mumbai he was in Delhi and those letters were our primary way of keeping in touch – along with phone calls and emails – but the letters were still diligently written. Each one was sent with something – a pressed flower, a card, small mementos such as key chains and once even a box of potpourri.

Then there were the letters I used to write to my father, a Chief Engineer in the merchant navy. Little girl’s letters, young teen’s letters, young adult’s letters, until finally these were also replaced by emails.

Then there were pen pals. People I met on my travels abroad who were fascinated with the little girl from India. A few letters were exchanged. Some friendships were forged and then forgotten in the sands of time and due to the faulty Indian postal system.

But now I can’t remember the last time I wrote a letter or received one. Until I got these two notes after a gap of years and years and years.

What about you – do you still write and receive letters? Or do you, like me, sometimes feel nostalgic for old fashioned, hand written letters?

Stylishly yours

Last Sunday, I got the Stylish Blog Award from my bloggie friend Reenie, and then, just as I was thinking of posting it on my blog and had the nomination list all ready, yesterday, my buddy Ann (who I was going to nominate, btw) nominated me too! So, that means I have myself two Stylish Blog Awards, making me doubly stylish!

To accept this award, I’m supposed to thank the person who awarded me – Reenie, Ann, you gals rock! Thank you! – share 7 things about myself and pass it on to some more stylish bloggers. There’s a number confusion here, ’cause one says 15, the other 7 – I guess I’m gonna bend the rules!

First up, 7 things you probably didn’t know about Modern Gypsy:

1) I’m generally a very happy-go-lucky person, which also means that at times when I NEED to take action, I don’t. At such times, my friends push me, yell at me and motivate me – and I love them for it!

2) I started out as a dog lover, but once I met the husband and realized his fear of dogs and love for cats, I became a cat lover myself. So now, I’m one of the few people who loves both dogs and cats.

3) I cry easily at the movies, in real life situations, though, it takes a lot to get me to shed those tears.

4) I LOVE comedy – but of the intelligent variety. Think The Birdcage.

5) I hate cooking, unless I’m trying out a new, exotic dish, like a Spanish Express Paella (recipe to come on the blog soon!).

6) My dream job would be one as a travel writer and photographer. I LOVE traveling, exploring different cities, cultures and cuisines, and clicking away like there’s no tomorrow. I’d love to be able to hold an exhibition combining photography and art. Some day, hopefully!

7) I’m fascinated with divination and the Tarot, and am learning how to read the cards.

Now, on to nominating the award to some of my fellow bloggers! I can’t nominate Reenie and Ann, since they both nominated me. So, I hereby nominate these great bloggers with the Stylish Blogger Award! Do hop over and say hi!

Jade at No Longer 25 writes about her favorite things: family, friends, food, travel and gardening.

Jacki at The Raven’s Spell chronicles the ever changing adventures of a stubborn, book-obsessed woman as she redefines her life, family, and self.

Adriana at La Dulce Vida, a bohemian mother of three that is inspired by all the beautiful things in life… Art, food, fashion,parenting, travel and culture.

Miranda at Mangoes and Chutney is someone I discovered while doing the 31 days to a better blog over at SITS. She offers new recipes, some Virgin Island knowledge, and a few cooking tidbits, all infused with a little humor.

I found Jennifer at Scraps of Life through her SITS feature day. Her blog is full of interesting, arty stuff that is sure to jump start your creativity!

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