Removing Mold Stains from Your Hardwood Floors
Wood floors are a glorious addition to your home, as well as extremely practical. They are good in all types of weather and last a very long time, as long as they're taken care of. And that's where things get a bit soggy-literally. Even if you're super careful with your floor, any water or liquid left standing for a long time can cause mold to develop.
This is especially true of plant and flower pots that are kept inside and leak. Now the leak may be quite small so that you don't notice it for months, and then you realize that the floor around the plant is looking a little worse for wear.
You lift the plant up and lo and behold, a moldy mess has established itself into the cracks of your beautiful hardwood floor.
Not to worry, however, as there are ways to get rid of the mold, and if it is finished like most floors, the wood itself will remain in tact and unharmed; only the finish will suffer.
The first thing to do is buy a scraper from your local hardware store. Size doesn't really matter, but it should be at least eight inches wide and a few inches high. Pull along the grain of the wood and adjust the pressure just so the edge is scraping the finish. Don't dig in too deep, as you can mar the wood.
Next, purchase a sanding sponge specifically for finish removal (180 grit will work fine too) at your hardware store or shop. Sand, again, along the grain until the mold, or most of it, is gone.
If there is still some residue left after all this use a very small amount of diluted Clorox bleach on the area. You have to be careful, though, as too concentrated of a solution can ruin the floor.
After you're done sanding or bleaching, run two hundred grit sand paper lightly over the wood. Re-finish the wood with the same finish, if possible. If not, find the nearest match, but do be careful as matching finishes can be tough. Always test a tiny, hidden, and out of the way spot before you do anything, and that includes using the bleach solution.
Hopefully this clears up your mold problem, but prevention is the best protection.
Make sure any flower or plant pots you have in the house are properly potted without the possibility of leaking, and ensure that any pet urine or other water spill is cleaned up as soon as possible. Do this, and your floor will remain beautiful and elegant well into old age.
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Have You Got a Dawn Avalon Yet
Groningen. Nederland (ContentDesk) April 19, 2006 -- Dawn Avalon, a first time Dutch author has written three fairy tales for children so far. And published them in Dutch and in English on Lulu. (www.lulu.com), the worlds fastest-growing provider of print-on-demand books.A wet Dragon
Every day Bubbles is wondering why he was born in a fire dragon village. All the other dragons spit fire.
But he spits water!
Is he living with his real family. Or are his true parents somewhere out there?
Toddlar
Is living an adventure every day of his life, thanks to his tom-cat Symi. He cannot talk yet, but he can speak with all the animals he meets.Frost Flower Artist
If you ask yourself how the frost flowers appeared on your window, after it froze all night. Then read this story. It will tell you the story of a small frost flower artist, and a little girl named Lily.Link to Publications*:
Have You Got a Dawn Avalon Yet 
Flower > Have You Got a Dawn Avalon Yet
Planting Impatiens
Impatiens are a popular garden flower often seen as edging or used for splashes of color in window boxes.
They belong to the family Balsamineaceae and can be planted in most any part of the garden. They are beautiful annuals that grow easily and are great for summer plantings every year.
Like most any other garden flower, impatiens need some basic care to grow. Adequate sun, properly fertilized soil will insure lush healthy plants.
Make sure you take care to provide enough water as the soft and ample stems of the impatien will wither rapidly if it becomes parched.
Impatiens are typically planted around trees or under shrubs as an edging and this causes them to require more water and fertilizer to make up for that which is used by the other, larger plant.
Impatiens Specifics:
There are many varieties of impatiens and they can range from 8 inches to 2 feet in height.
Impatiens can also...
Flower > Planting Impatiens
Flowers Say "I Love You"
Some people dismiss flowers as old-fashioned, but the truth is that, in general, women adore them, and men are secretly pleased and flattered when someone presents them with a stylish arrangement or a flower gift basket. If you see yourself as a romantic person, find excuses to give flowers as often as possible. Flowers are such a vibrant expression of Nature's beauty that it's rare to find a single human being who doesn't respond to them. Not only do they come in every color of the rainbow, from the most vibrant purples to the subtlest of pastels, but their shapes vary dramatically, from the sculptured beauty of a rose to the cartoon-like forms of the bird of paradise and the sunflower. And as well as stimulating our visual senses, their scents are the source of every perfume in existence.You can give flowers for any occasion.
A dozen long-stemmed red roses will always say 'I love you' no matter how much we might consider them a clich?. Daisies and gerberas, especially those...
Flowers Say "I Love You"
Flower > Flowers Say "I Love You"
Country Christmas Idea: Milkweek Pod Poinsettia Ornaments
Country Christmas Idea: Milkweed Pod Poinsettia OrnamentsAt first glance, milkweed plants and poinsettias don't seem to have much in common. If you live in an area where milkweed grows wild, however, you can use the dried milkweed pods to make poinsettia ornaments for your Christmas tree. Here's how:1. Collect some dried milkweed pods. In the fall, the milkweed plants have already gone to seed but the dried pods will still be attached to the plant.
You will need six "halves" of a milkweed pod for each poinsettia flower that you are going to make.2. After you have collected the milkweed pods and have brought them into the house, put them in a warm spot for a few days or a week to dry out more. This is especially important if it has been rainy and damp outside.3. Glue the milkweed pod halves together side-by-side in a circle so that they look like a flower. A hot glue gun works well for gluing the pods together.4.
Decorate your poinsettia flowers with spray paint and glitter,...
Country Christmas Idea: Milkweek Pod Poinsettia Ornaments
Flower > Country Christmas Idea: Milkweek Pod Poinsettia Ornaments