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Our home furniture is one of the reasons why we love our home.  It is the accessory which makes our rooms come together.  Since furniture makes up a large part of our home, we cannot replace them as often as we would like to.  Furniture can be very expensive. It does not really matter what the price range you are looking at. Whether it is a luxury furniture made by famous designers or warehouse furniture that everyone buys in bulk. It may still be expensive when it comes to taking out the cash.

Instead of having to save up for furniture, why not buy second hand or reuse furniture?  Buying second hand furniture is not only a lot cheaper, but it is also environmentally positive. Apart from that, you can find beautiful and even unique pieces that will decorate your home forever at a fraction of the price. Here are some tips on how to choose cool second hand furniture that you must know before you go thrift shopping.

Always go for metal furniture

Metal furniture usually means aluminium or wrought iron. The number one reason is that this kind of furniture is very expensive when new. Therefore, a second-hand might actually prove to be a bargain.  Do not worry about the way metal furniture looks on the surface.  Do not let rust or other such factors to stop you from purchasing it if you have your eyes set on it.  You can always remove the rust and repaint the metal furniture.  You will be surprised how a new coat of paint will breathe life into your new find.

‘Assembly required’ furniture 

Self-assembled furniture is a good and economical alternative to buying expensive brand name furniture.  Be careful when shopping for this type of furniture because most often, the furniture does not still have all of its original pieces or may not have the original structural intent as when it was first assembled.

Refinish old furniture for its new purpose

Many people love using an old dresser as a bathroom vanity.  This cool idea is one of the latest trends and works beautifully especially for antique and older furniture.  Remember to refinish the wood or other dresser material in a waterproof finish.

Choose second hand furniture from hotels

Hotels are a fantastic source of used furniture. As hotels renovate and change their theme every now and then, they usually sell their old furniture to the the locals. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to buy everything you need, especially since the piece of furniture was probably selected by an interior designer to begin with.

Shipping Your Furniture

Once you have chosen the furniture that you want, the next question is shipping it to your home.  There are a number of ways you can transport furniture.  Renting a truck and driving yourself may seem like a low cost option but it requires much effort on your part, especially if the furniture you are buying is hundreds of miles away.  Less-Than-A-Truckload shipping is one of the most popular and cost-effective ways to send shipment cross country.  The cost is low because multiple shipments traveling in a similar direction are used to fill up the truck. This means that your furniture may need to make several stops and change trucks a few times, which making exact dates more difficult to pin down. If you are not in an immediate rush, this reliable method is most likely the lowest rate you will find for shipping furniture.

Finding someone to move your furniture can often be overwhelming due to the size of the items, and searching through phone books and search pages trying to find the right furniture shipping company can be time consuming. Online shipping marketplace platform like Shiply can assist you to find rated shipping companies, compare quotes and work out which is best for you.

Finding second-hand furniture can be exciting and rewarding once you get it to your home.

All of us absolutely adore our doggos for their funny antics, unselfishness displays of love, and of course, those countless licks and cuddles. And while there is absolutely no questioning the love we have for our furry friends, it’s also true that cleaning after them can be quite a task.

Since they quite literally own the living room and everything in it, it’s also the carpet and furniture that suffer their furry brunt the most. To help you in your ordeal of removing dog hair from your carpets and furniture, read on our list of some useful hacks below:

Investing in a vacuum cleaner for pet hair

Currently, there are several vacuum cleaner models available in the market that have accessories and suction power to easily remove even the most stubborn dog hair. The good news is that in addition to the fur, any harmful allergens that may cause conditions like asthma can be controlled as well.

Try to look for a vacuum for pet hair that has a HEPA filter to properly dispose of any dirt. As for the additional attachments, look for models that have a brush, crevice, or anything similar that could make the chore at hand easier.

Give a good rub with a damp hand

A common mistake that pet parents make is deep cleaning their furniture or carpet without removing the fur beforehand. Not only does this make the entire task messier but also more time-consuming.

To avoid such situations, dampen your hand and gently rub it over your carpet or furniture. Soon a small ball of dog hair will start forming that can be easily disposed of. You can also use a rubber glove instead if you want to cover your hand. You see, the generated static electricity helps to attract the fur in a much faster manner.

Take the help of the good ol’ baking soda

The is only one way to describe baking soda – versatile. There is absolutely nothing that this magical ingredient cannot do. It works for nearly everything, the easy removal of dog hair being no different.

For this purpose, you only need to let the product sit for a couple of minutes after you have sprinkled a generous amount over the furry place. Proceed to use a vacuum to clean it. This can also be great for keeping bad odors in check and instead, having a fresh-smelling upholstery.

Use a lint roller

Probably one of the best ways to remove dog hair, a lint roller can be very efficient in such cases. You simply need to give a good roll on your carpet or furniture and nearly every strand of hair will disappear.

You can also use a carpet cleaner for your carpet if you own one as they are most certainly amazing. But in case you don’t, any sticky tape can come in handy as well. Simply place the sticky side of the tape on the carpet or furniture, and using a blotting motion dab it about to remove dog hair.

Get that squeegee out

Almost as fun as it sounds, a squeegee can be very useful when it comes to removing pet hair. For removing fur, you only need to run the squeegee over your upholstery or any affected area. These tools have a rubber attachment on it that will collect the fur entirely.

Again, the disposal of dog hair becomes relatively easy as the fur accumulates on the squeegee itself. You only need to remove the hair after picking up the squeegee and you’ll be done. There are also squeegees with long handles available in the market which can help you cover larger carpet areas.

Give the carpet and furniture a good brushing

Before we discuss this hack, we would like to warn you that this will be a bit more time-consuming than the ones mentioned above. But, it is also the simplest on this list.

Take a hairbrush that has stiff metal bristles and simply brush your carpet or sofa. Remember, you need to make quick, short strokes in different directions to loosen the dog hair and get it off. Having said this, if you have wood, leather or velvet upholstery, we would advise you to skip the furniture in such cases. The sharp bristles may scratch the material or cause dents.

Get a dog bed and then wash it

As the name suggests, a dog bed is a personal space for your dog where they can spend their time lying down or relaxing. This, in turn, will help minimize the pet hair from your carpet and furniture.

The next thing that you have to do is to periodically wash the dog bed to remove any stuck hair. Hence, once your dog roams around the house, there won’t be any hair stuck on his or her body. A good tip would be to select a dog bed that is machine friendly and has removable covers. While you remove the sheets, don’t forget to spray an anti-static spray to remove any fluff.

Bathe your dog frequently

Frequent grooming will keep your pet protected from any illness that may cause excessive hair loss. At the same time, any loose hair will come off when you rub your dog’s coat preventing it from falling out on your carpet or furniture. After bathing your dogs, try to keep them outside of your home for about an hour. This way, there won’t be any issues with potential shedding either.

These are some hacks to help you get rid of your dog hair easily and effectively. While you can use a tip that you may find the most convenient, try to remove the dog hair as quickly as possible to prevent it from getting embedded. Trust us when we tell you that it’ll save you a lot of time in the long run!