The Studio by Nandita Manwani

Maintenance tips to keep your home running like a well oiled machine

Maintaining Home Interiors
 
The%2BMaintenance%2BChecklist

Here is something that I had written sometime back that saw the light in Deccan Herald today for the benefit of the many who are yet to be readers of this blog :).

As always the unedited, uncensored and the full version of the article is below for the special ones who follow this blog … hee. Would welcome thoughts comments and feedback especially on this one as I am sure each person, especially the women, have their own household tips and tricks to keep the home spotless and well groomed.

 

 

Home Interior Maintenance Tips

After spending a bomb on interiors it’s appalling to see things starting to fall apart even before the home celebrates its second birthday. The simple maintenance tips below will help you keep your interiors in top shape and you feeling great about your now not so new but “matured” home

 

 

The essential “Yearly” carpenter visit:

Like how we need an annual health check-up, your woodwork needs one too. The hardware that’s used nowadays (zero crank hinges, hydraulic lift ups, sliding systems etc) tends to gather play with regular use. You would have noticed the space between the shutters either becoming bigger or smaller with use – sometimes the shutters may clash, rub against the adjoining panel, wall or slab or bend/ get damaged if the issue is not arrested in time. The carpenter will tighten things back & it will take him no longer than a few of hours to do it – “quality” time well spent with your home I am sure.

 

 

The over enthusiastic scrubber:

The maid under guidance from the super clean madam sometimes, in her enthusiasm, scrubs away the grouting along with the dirt. Grouting (for those not so enlightened) is the filler that’s put in between tiles/ granite slab or between the slab & the sink to fill the gap.

The purpose is to

(1) fill the gap aesthetically and

(2) to prevent water leakage in wet places. A scrubbed off grouting is the single biggest kitchen killer known to man woman & child – it leads to water seepage from the sink, into the woodwork underneath leading to sure death. Also – the “artificial rain” in your bathroom due to the seeping ceiling is probably because of the over enthusiastic scrubber upstairs

As you may have guessed already a scrubbed grouting has a simple solution

(1) Check for its absence on the floors (especially bathroom floors), between the kitchen slab & sink and where the slab meets the walls and

(2) put the grouting back. You can in fact do it on your own using white cement for the floor and silicone gel for the Kitchen

 

 

The “stuffed” drainpipe:

Imagine yourself in the Kitchen drainpipe’s shoes….no, throat, and you will feel its bane. A monthly “drainex” down the drain (literally) will help avoid the quarterly choke providing respite to the woodwork around it.</li>

 

Formal – formal pest control:

So many of us come under the spell of the humane (to the cockroaches) herbal pest control guy or are busy lining our homes with numerous “lakshman rekhas”. Trust me, nothing (with an underline) works better than a formal pest control treatment. Depending on the size of your place it costs between Rs. 3000 – 10000 annually and is worth every paisa. The black “sand” that the cockroaches leave behind in your cabinets and drawers is their droppings – not only does it look messy, it also find its way into your utensils, cooking etc. etc.……you know where I am heading with this J. Fix it before it fixes you.

 

Vinegar, Lemonade and fizz for your bathroom fixtures:

With use, you will find a frosty white film settling on your bathroom fittings. It’s a pretty stubborn piece of flab which, when attacked with regular cleaners, leads to the chrome itself getting damaged. The solution – a tiny yellow lemon. A scrub with lemon juice or with vinegar will melt away the film and bring the shine &amp; smile back. If you are out of lemon then (this one is awesome…) use Coke…yes “Cocoa Cola” – in fact Coke works better than Pepsi for this one. A sure Thumbs up to Coke for winning this Cola war.

That’s it for now…wish you all happy upkeeping.

Nandita Manwani is an Interior Designer and the founder of The Studio, Bangalore (https://thestudiobangalore.com)


 

1 thought on “Maintenance tips to keep your home running like a well oiled machine”

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles

Home Interior Design FAQs, Interior Designers in Bangalore

2000 FAQ’s on Home Interiors and Interior Design Best Practices

Imagine a repository of 2000 Frequently Asked Questions and how to’s on interior design and home interiors….how cool would that

Interior Designers in Bangalore, Woodwork in Bangalore

Types of Wood & Wood Specifications for Home Interiors

Over the course of the last few years the maximum number of queries I’ve received from my readers has been

Best Interior Designers in Bangalore, Interior Design Center

Honored to be recognized as the Top Interior Design Firm of the Year 2022

Two updates that happened over the last few days which we are very exited about The Architecture & Interior Design

An interior Designers perspective, Home Interior Designers, Home Painting

The Home Makers Guide to Painting your Home in Bangalore – An Interior Designers Perspective

This has been a topic that a number of readers of this blog have been requesting for since quite a

Interior Designers in Bangalore, interiors in bangalore, Material for Home Interiors in Bangalore, Material to use for Woodwork

So what is the Right material to choose for Woodwork?

So you have made your first visit to the market to decide on your interiors, visited @Home, HomeStop, Hometown, Home
Interior Design

Deep Refurbish – Interior Design Project at Elita Promenade Bangalore

Pictures of a Deep Refurbish Design Project at Elita Promenade Bangalore
Interior Designers in KANAKAPURA ROAD, Purva Highland Interior Pictures. Economy Interiors

A few photographs of the Eco Package (Budget Interiors) executed recently at Purva Highlands Kanakapura Road, Bangalore

I wrote about the Eco range of interiors for 2/ 3 BHK apartments sometime back. Here are a few photographs

Apartment Home Interior Pictures, Interior Designers in JP Nagar

More Photographs – Latest project at Elita – JP Nagar

Project pictures of our work in the initial years in Bangalore - this was in the year 2011
Home Interior Maintenance

Lockdown & “Home work”

I was wondering what to write next, sitting home under lockdown when my daughter recommended why not write something on

Interior design versus modular furniture, Interior Designers in Bangalore

Think Outside the BOX !

Chapter 1: It’s not the box babe’ – it’s your Life The boxes have taken over, where we live –

Environment,Interior Design Best Practices

Interior Design for Total Environment Homes

In all Total Environment projects across Bangalore, you will notice a set of general principles around which their homes are

Sliding Wardrobes, the studio sliding wardrobe bangalore

The Studio Range of Wardrobes – Frequently Asked Questions

I have been getting a number of questions from you on the Studio Range of Wardrobes post the launch &

Interior design

Customers Don’t Trust Interior Designers. While the Industry is Booming it Struggles With A Credibility Crisis That No One Talks About

Doing up a home is a deeply emotional journey for a family, one that represents years of savings, aspirations, and
Interior Design Theme, Themes in Interior Design

Dark Theme For Interiors – the lure of BLACK

The recent fetish for Dark as well as the younger generation’s desire to try out new and different concepts for
Best Interior Design Companies in Bangalore, Interior Designers in Bangalore, The Studio, Top Interior Designer in Bangalore, Top Interior Designers in Bangalore, Turnkey Home Interiors & Design, Wardrobes, What is Modular Kitchen

“The Studio” – now on Facebook : A photo palate for interiors in the “Indian” context

Thestudiobangalore Over the last few months, I realized that I have been accumulating a good number of photographs of

Home Interior Designers, Home Interior Photographs, Modular Kitchen, Sliding Wardrobes

Photographs of my recent Home Interior project at Yelahanka, Bangalore

It is a beautiful penthouse – top floor, some 3000 sqft with a huge kitchen, party area and the works.

Houzz Magazine

One of our Interior Design Projects in Bangalore featured by Houzz Magazine

One of our projects was recently featured by Houzz Magazine. Read all about it here 30 Kitchen Cabinets With Contrasting

furniture build or buy, Furniture in Bangalore, Interior Designers in Bangalore, role of interior designer

Organised furniture retail and the changing role of the Interior Designer

My article on whether to build furniture or to buy it from the market and how organised furniture retail will

An interior Designers perspective, Interior Design Cost in Bangalore, Interior Design Masterclass, Interior Designers in Bangalore

Third Edition of my Masterclass on Interior Design Best Practices

November 3 it is — Just in case you missed the earlier two Masterclasses, here is another chance for you

Future Interior Designers,Interior Designers,Internship

Future Interior Designers – Join our Internship Program in Bangalore starting Jan 2021

We are shaking off the Covid stupor and launching our Internship program for 2021. Interested 3rd year Interior Design Students

Related Articles

Scroll to Top
Thank you icon

Thanks for your Interest

We will get back to you on this shortly