Can Your Waistline Be Affected By Your Kitchen Colors?

Have you ever walked into your kitchen and instantly felt hungry?

Rarely do people think about the colors that they choose to paint their kitchens. They are often too busy worrying about whether the kitchen will match the rest of the home, or whether the colors will be satisfactory to the rest of the household.

However, as much as you might want to have a special color in your kitchen, your brain is very likely wired in a way to react in ways that you may not have intended! When painting and decorating your kitchen, you may want to think about the process in a way many people do not -- how the colors you choose will affect the way in which you eat.

Colors affect a lot of our subconscious thinking. As behavioral psychologists have documented, the presence of specific colors your the kitchen can change your eating habits and your cravings for food.

Here are some examples:

Red: The color red increases your appetite. This is why so many restaurants paint their walls red. Although associated with romance and passion, red is also a color which promotes hunger. Furthermore, it has been noted that the color red in your kitchen can influence high blood pressure

Orange: The color orange is a "stimulating" color; increasing oxygen supply to the brain and providing a mental boost. An orange-themed kitchen may stimulate your appetite, therefore, and make over-eating more likely.

Gray: Gray can be an ideal appetite-suppressing color for your kitchen. This is because, psychologically, gray is calming and relaxing, and it neutralizes anxiety. Gray can arrest binge eating and impulsive snacking. It's also a color which home stagers recommend for its neutrality.

Blue: The color blue is calming, which can slow your eating speed, and prevent you from over-eating. When decorating your kitchen and dining room, therefore, using blue wallpaper or blue paint; and blue placemats, for example, can result in "slower" eating and fewer feelings of fullness.

And there's more about blue! There are very few foods that are naturally blue outside of blueberries and some varieties of potatoes. So over time your subconscious mind has trained itself to be wary of any food that is blue. Some weight loss programs suggest eating on a blue plate and even putting a blue light in your refrigerator!

So if you're concerned about the amount you or your family is eating, painting your kitchen blue may very well help curb the appetite.

Whether you're a home buyer, a home seller, or just getting ready to remodel, consider the influence of colors in your home. They do more than just "match the next room" -- they affect your food and drink cravings as well.

How To Beat The Bacteria In Your Kitchen

Within Metro Atlanta homes, the kitchen is often the most "used" room in the house. It's a meeting place for meals, for conversation, and for family. Unfortunately, that makes it a meeting place for bacteria, as well.

Along with bathrooms, kitchens are the most bacteria-heavy rooms in a home. Kitchens require a good, daily cleaning. This 4-minute interview on NBC's The Today Show shows you how to do it.

Using ordinary household cleansers and some elbow grease, you'll learn :

1. Why sponges should be out of your kitchen and why loofahs should be in
2. How to catch and trap fruit flies that spread germs and disease
3. How to clean and disinfect porous cutting boards

You'll also get tips on removing stubborn stains from the bottom side of a frying pan.

The video is loaded with good advice and is worth a watch if only to learn a single sanitizing tip.

For example, did you know that you shouldn't soak wooden bowls or boards in water because the water causes the wood to separate, leaving it "open" to kitchen-borne bacteria? Or that, because of new soap-types, today's dishwashers should be regularly disinfected?  

Keep your kitchen free from bacteria is a constant battle but, using the tips from the video above, you'll give yourself a fighting chance. 

For more information about the Atlanta area real estate market, please email me at ed@edshort.com or call me at 404.918.2500.

~ Ed Short, Atlanta REALTOR®

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How To Keep A Clean Refrigerator

Do you clean your refrigerator regularly, or only after you've run out of space? If your answer is the latter, your refrigerator may be harboring dangerous bacteria that can make you, your family, and your house guests ill.

Refrigerators should be cleaned monthly, inside and out, ideally. The process involves removing all foods, cleaning all shelves, and wiping down drawers. Spoiled food is removed and old containers reclaimed.

The process takes 20 minutes. Here's how to do it.

First, prepare your cleaning stations, including filling a sink with soapy water, and having drying towels handy. Complete this step before you start to remove food from the refrigerator. This limits the amount of time that food has available to reach room temperature.

Next, remove all food from the appliance. Throw out old food past its expiration, and leftovers which have been in containers for more than a few days. Check dairy products for expiration dates -- especially cheeses and creams. Toss fruits and vegetables that have spoiled. Wipe down condiment jars and bottles with a damp towel.

Next, with the refrigerator empty, remove all shelves and drawers and wash them in the water-filled sink. Scrub to remove any caked-on foods and spills. Rinse off the soapy water and dry the part on your drying towels.

Then, while the shelves and drawers are drying, using a mixture of baking soda and water, wipe down the interior surfaces of your appliance. The mixture should be roughly 2 tablespoons of baking soda for every 1 gallon of water. Wipe the mixture off with a clean towel.

Lastly, move the shelves and drawers back into the refrigerator and replace all of the food that's "good".

Refrigerators can be a dirty place. We rarely wash our hands before handling food in a refrigerator and that can contribute to a bacteria-heavy environment. A good cleaning, though, can keep our foods -- and our home -- healthy.

Clean your refrigerator regularly.

For more information about the Atlanta area real estate market, please email me at ed@edshort.com or call me at 404.918.2500.

~ Ed Short, Atlanta REALTOR®

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How To Seal A Granite Countertop

Among Metro Atlanta homeowners, granite countertops remain a popular kitchen and bathroom finishing choice. Granite boasts a combination of natural beauty and durability that's unmatched among most commercial options.

But different from many other countertops choices, granite is a natural material; mined from the Earth. It is porous and highly absorbent.

To protect the granite in your home, therefore, and to ensure its quality over time, you'll want to seal your countertops at least once annually. A proper granite sealing will prevent stains and damage that can ruin your countertops' appearances.

Sealing your granite countertops is a simple job, but one that requires a little bit elbow grease.

First, you should make sure your granite is actually ready to be re-sealed. To do this, soak a white cotton cloth in water and leave it on the corner of your countertop for a 10 minutes.  Lift the towel and check whether the area under the towel is discolored, or dark. This will indicate that your granite is absorbing liquid and needs sealing.

If the area is not disclored, your granite is already sufficiently sealed.

If your countertops do need to be sealed, here's how to do it :

1. With a spray cleaner, wipe down the entire surface and allow to dry
2. Using a clean white rag, apply granite sealer to the surface uniformly
3. Allow 30 minutes for the granite to absorb the sealer, or longer
4. When dry, re-apply a second coat of sealer

Depending on the thickness and quality of your home's granite, it may need to dry overnight so allow yourself the proper time to finish the job.

Once sealed, use preventative maintenance to keep your granite countertops looking great. Place coasters under beverages, hot plates under dishes and clean up spills immediately.

A well-cared for granite countertop will last for years.

For more information about the Atlanta area real estate market, please email me at ed@edshort.com or call me at 404.918.2500.

~ Ed Short, Atlanta REALTOR®

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