protection


Saturday, July 10th, 2010

Designing a safe nursery

designing a safe nurseryDesigning a nursery for your soon-to-be-newborn is a very special time for parents. You want the room to be perfectly safe; a beautiful living space for your new special treasure but free from any hazards. But how do you protect them from the hazards you can’t see? Here are some safe and healthy ways to create a living space for your little one.

Keep it clean and simple

Today’s current fad is a contemporary style. The modern-and-chic look is one of simplicity, where only a few items are used to bring life to the room. Use colors sparingly in this instance, and stay away from over-using pastels. Go with a calm color for the walls.  This will allow for wall murals or cozy rugs to stand out more, adding style to the room.

Avoid hazards you can see

Keeping the room safe doesn’t just mean ensuring the edges of furniture pieces are rounded and protectors are in the plugs. You have to protect your little one from things that cannot be seen. This means staying away from synthetic materials that give off formaldehyde gas. Items like press board and plastics are the culprits in this case. Instead, choose furniture made out of natural wood that is not finished. It’s pretty much guaranteed that during your baby’s gumming stage, s/he will come in contact with the crib or other pieces of furniture. Be sure to stay away from painted or stained materials for their safety as well.

Natural Baby Bedding

Toxins can also be found in bedding. Your baby’s skin will be in contact with nursery bedding for many hours each day. A baby’s skin is very sensitive in the early years, so it’s important to keep their skin safe from substances that cause irritation. Choose natural fabrics like cotton instead of synthetics. This also goes for crib bumpers, pillow inserts, covers and changing pads.

Safe walls for little hands

On the theme of non-toxic products, it’s important that the walls of the room are safe from any artificial materials. If you’re choosing wallpaper for the room, look to have it professionally installed with non-toxic wallpaper paste. If you choose to paint, zero-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) is your best bet here and can be customized to match almost any color you need.

When designing a safe and hazard free nursery for your new arrival, visit your local PMD Furniture Direct ™ franchisee and shop their massive selection of children furniture from the Royal Heritage Home Furnishings Collection so you know your baby’s nursery is a safe place to be!

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

Protect your furniture from getting scratched

cat-scratching-postCats are a great family pet. Their easy maintenance, sweet and loving nature, and great companionship can really add to your family’s home lifestyle. But one of the frustrations that come with having cats is their constant need for scratching furniture.

Cats have a need and desire to scratch, stretch, and flex their claws. The way they accomplish all these acts is by latching on for dear life to your nearest piece of furniture and stretching their body until they feel comfortable again. This can lead to severely damaged furniture and leave you very frustrated.

Follow these steps to prevent your cat from scratching and preserve the look of the furniture you bought through your local PMD Furniture Direct™ franchisee for a lifetime.

  1. Get your cat a scratching post. Put them in locations cats like to be at. For example, cats love the sun and how it feels on their fur, so place a post by a window.
  2. Find a post that best suits your cat. This may take a bit of experimenting on your part, but will be well worth it.
  3. Do some research and find out what type of surfaces or textures your breed of cat likes. This can include rugs, wood, cardboard ect.  Also, what type of post orientations they like. (vertical or horizontal)
  4. Through a reward system, give your cat kitty treats every time they use the post. This will create a desire in them to want to scratch the post.
  5. After the cat takes a long hard nap, pick the cat up and place them near the post. Cats stretch and flex their claws after waking up. This will give them a place to do it on.
  6. Do not punish your cat if they scratch the furniture. This will only teach them to not do it when you are around.
  7. Even if you plan on getting rid of an old piece of furniture, still do not allow your cat to scratch it. This will only teach them to scratch furniture.
  8. Finally, consult your local veterinarian about different treatment option before you give up.

Visit your local PMD Furniture Direct™ franchisee to shop our vast selection of affordable, durable and beautiful furniture from the Royal Heritage Home Furnishings® Collection.

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Protecting Your Mattress

Protect Your Mattress

You spend a third of your life on your Sealy™ mattress from the Royal Heritage Home Furnishings® Bedding Collection, recharging your batteries for tomorrow’s tasks. One of the most important furniture pieces you own deserves to be protected from liquid stains that can penetrate your sheets and leave foul odors and stains on your bedding.

Protecting your mattress from liquids such as urine, sweat, drinks and food is pretty simple: just keep it covered. Don’t put a garbage bag under the sheets and make your child sleep on a human noise maker all night, giving them the gift of grumpiness.  Instead, cover your mattress and pillows with a Royal Heritage® Mattress Protector and Royal Heritage® Pillow protector, which works to keep any type of liquid from leaving stains or odors behind. Our mattress protectors will keep your mattress fresh, allow you to sleep in a peaceful state and preserve your warranty coverage.

There are additional steps you can take to keep your mattress clean. Vacuuming the mattress is the only technique Sealy™   recommends. If the unthinkable does happen and some type of liquid reaches the mattress, Sealy™  recommends using only mild soap and cold water, and applying it lightly. Don’t ever soak a mattress or box spring, and don’t use dry cleaning solvents which could damage the construction materials .

Royal Heritage® Mattress Protectors and Royal Heritage® Pillow protectors are available through Royal Heritage Home Furnishings® as a part of our Royal Heritage Home Furnishings® Bedding Collection.