Moving blankets are the those large thick blankets and pads that you see professional movers using to cushion your furniture and boxes while they move your items into their trucks. The blankets keep your things from getting damaged.

A good moving company will even use them during transit, and to cover your wood banisters and such to protect them from being scratched as they move furniture up and down stairs.

If you hire a professional mover, then chances are these moving blankets will be provided as part of your moving package. You should still check though to be sure. But what if they aren't provided by your movers, or what if you are moving yourself with a U-Haul or other type of vehicle? How can you get these moving blankets so that your furniture isn't damaged while you and your friends and family  help you move it?

It’s no surprise that it is hard to sell a home these days.  Even in the best areas, homes can sit on the market for months and even years. 

While this is great for home buyers because they have their pick of homes, home sellers need to work extra hard to make a sale. 

The longer a house is on the market, the more it costs the seller:

You might lose out on your own home buying opportunities. 

Or you could lose more money -- especially if you have already purchased a new home, or need to get out of a home that you can no longer afford.

As a homeowner, you have to get creative about the ways you attempt to sell your home, since homes aren't selling very fast on their own these days.

Here are some creative ways to sell your house fast...

Some of the times when you might want to give your home a deep cleaning include:

Prior to moving

Before guests come for an overnight stay

At the start of each season (fall, spring, winter, summer)

Before putting your house up for sale

That said, sometimes it can be hard to know exactly what to do and where to start.

Here are a few tips to help you deep clean your home -- inside and out.

I used to go to the local drug store (CVS, Rite Aid, etc.) one a month and spend $100 or more on beauty products such as razor blades, depilatory cremes, hair conditioner, deodorant, lotion, facial cleansers, makeup removers, foot softening creme, eczema treatment, and more.

At the time, I thought these items were necessities, now I know better. There are some better (and cheaper) options!

For the life of me, I can never remember which to use when.

Is it ice on sore muscles and heat to relax pinched nerves? Or vice versa?

Once and for all, I'm putting it someplace in writing, so I'll have it as an easy reminder.

Here's the scoop...

In my profession of cleaning houses for a living, I have cleaned hard wood floors time and time again. And I'm always trying new things to save time.

Some of the things that I've tried when cleaning hardwood floors include:

string mops

sponge mops

cleaning the floors by hand

All of these ways work, but they can take a lot of time!

Plus, using a string mop or a sponge mop requires that you lug around a bucket of water, and you have to repeatedly rinse the mop. Cleaning hardwood floors by hand means that you're working on your hands and knees -- which can be time-consuming and exhausting.

I have come up with a 2-step method for cleaning hardwood floors that is the fastest for me and gives the best results without all of the excess work.

People usually want to clean their home in the shortest amount of time possible.

As a professional house cleaner, I've whittled my best speed cleaning tips down to 7.

Hopefully, these tips will help you get your cleaning chores done quickly, while still doing a good job.