Over time, furniture such as cabinets can deteriorate and become outdated. One of the cheapest alternatives to improve their appearance and adapt to the decoration of our home is to paint them. You won’t need to get rid of them and buy new ones!

With good painting and following this step-by-step on how to paint a wardrobe, you will achieve a perfect finish.

Step by step to paint a closet

Step 1

The first thing we have to do is remove or cover the hardware and hinges of the cabinets. If we want to paint them the same color as the cabinet, this step will not be necessary.

Step 2

Next, we paper the floor and the wall with cardboard or newspaper, and the areas that we do not want to paint with masking tape.

Step 3

Before painting the cabinets, we must strip them to remove traces of old paint or varnish that can prevent the new paint from adhering correctly. To do this, we will sand the surface or apply a good stripper and remove the layers of paint or varnish with a spatula.

Step 4

After stripping the furniture, we clean the surface, and once dry, apply the primer with a foam roller in two directions to avoid marks. We recommend using a light wood primer to avoid using more coats of paint later.

Step 5

Next, we paint the cabinets with a foam roller. We must apply the layers recommended by the manufacturer. Between layer and layer, we have to let the paint dry.

Light paints have less coverage than other colors, so we must apply more layers than when using other darker colors.

Keep in mind that when using a roller, the layer is thinner than when using a brush. If a brush is used, we will most likely need fewer coats to cover the cabinet but the finish may be uneven.

Step 6

Finally, we put the fittings and hinges back on. We already have our closet renewed!

Tips when painting the closet

The surface should not be painted when it is wet, we have to wait until it is dry. The paint has to be of quality for a good finish. If the furniture has damage, we can repair it with putty before starting to paint it. Normally, the cabinets are usually made of wood. This material is usually protected with varnish. To achieve a perfect finish, we must remove it by stripping the furniture. On the edges or edges, it is recommended to apply the paint with a brush to impregnate it well.

We must apply thin layers of paint; otherwise, unsightly drops may remain on the finish due to excess paint.

Removing the cabinet doors will make our job easier. The drying times of the paint must be respected before giving it a new coat.

Paint melamine cabinet

Melamine is the second most used material for cabinets. To paint the melamine furniture and leave a good finish, we will follow another process. Before starting to paint the cabinet, we must prepare the surface. To do this, we will send the furniture to open the pore and eliminate irregularities.

After sanding, we will thoroughly clean the cabinet with a cloth and alcohol to remove any dust. Once dry, we will apply a primer with a roller. Finally, we will paint the cabinet with special paint and apply a protective varnish.

To get rid of the bad smell in the house caused by humidity, traffic jams, tobacco, or pets, you can use the deodorizing properties of natural products such as baking soda, vinegar, or coffee.

In this article, we tell you how to get rid of the bad smell in your house forever. Take good note!

Have you just bought or rented a home and notice an unpleasant odor inside? It is very common for houses or apartments that have been closed for a long time (or that have not been cleaned frequently) to acquire very unpleasant odors.

Sometimes, the bad smell is so pervasive that it can make a home uninhabitable, the main problem being the proliferation of humidity, broken pipes, clogged and/or dirty siphons and drains, electrical appliances, and filters that have never been cleaned among other common situations that cause a bad smell at home

In most cases, thorough ventilation and cleaning will get rid of foul odors. However, for a deeper, faster, and more efficient cleaning, you should resort to remedies and products such as baking soda, cinnamon, or charcoal.

Seven tricks to eliminate bad odors from home

Next, we share with you seven home remedies that are hand in hand to eliminate unpleasant odors in your home:

1. Use vinegar for bad odors in environments and fabrics

White cleaning vinegar and even apple cider vinegar are natural products that will help us eliminate the bad smell of a house, especially if there are rooms that smell of tobacco and fabrics that have mold and, therefore, humidity. This is due to its antifungal and antibacterial properties.

Vinegar is cheap, eco-friendly, and very effective at removing odors caused by mold, mildew, and rot.

How to use vinegar to eliminate bad odors?

To eliminate the bad smell of the house with vinegar, pour vinegar and warm water in equal parts into a spray bottle. Afterward, he shakes the mixture and sprays it around the closed spaces that smell bad.

Another solution is to add vinegar in small containers and spread them over the areas that have a bad smell.

Vinegar smells quite strong, but it will be worth it, as it is a very effective remedy. You can even use it to remove the bad smell of clothes and the musty smell of towels.

Combined with vinegar, it will become a very effective cleaning product to clean and remove the bad smell of the washing machine.

2. Use baking soda for the bad smell of furniture and carpets

One of the most effective remedies to eliminate bad odors that occur at home is baking soda. This is due to its antibacterial and deodorizing properties that directly combat odor caused by mold, mildew, and decomposing food scraps that can cause unpleasant odors in the garbage can, for example.

How to use baking soda to eliminate bad odors? It’s very simple, you just have to put baking soda in a container and add lemon juice or water until you get a paste. Next, rub all the surfaces and furniture that have bad odors with the paste obtained. Finally, let the bicarbonate paste act for 5 or 10 minutes and remove the remains with a soft bristle brush.

3. Use charcoal to prevent and eliminate the musty smell

Did you know that charcoal is one of the best remedies to prevent humidity in cabinets and dressing rooms? It turns out that a Binchotan-activated charcoal stick is capable of absorbing toxins and bad odors in a very effective way.

How to use charcoal to eliminate bad odors? You just have to place the charcoal stick in a container and leave it in a place that has bad odors or humidity. Charcoal is also an element widely used to make water drinkable.

4. Use vanilla essence for very strong odors in the environment

Did you know that vanilla essence is used to create backgrounds from other essences? This is because its molecular structure is very strong, so it stays on the skin for longer.

That is why the essence of vanilla will become one of your best allies to put an end to heavy and smelly environments at home. It is perfect, for example, for places that have been closed for a long time or homes with pets, since its essence will be easily dispersed.

How to use vanilla essence for bad odors? Sprinkle some vanilla essence on a clean cloth and rub it on the places and objects you want to deodorize. If you want its scent to linger longer, put a couple of tablespoons in a small container and place it on the bad-smelling site.

5. Use whole bean (or ground) coffee for tobacco-smelling environments

Coffee is a natural product known worldwide for giving off an exquisite aroma. Not only that, coffee grounds are also known to nourish and improve the appearance of plants and create painted canvases.

How to use coffee for bad smells? It is important to place whole, roasted coffee beans in a bowl and place the container inside cupboards or smelly places.

You can also use this trick to eliminate the smell of tobacco that usually remains in a smoking room. On the other hand, if you choose to reuse the leftover coffee grounds, pour them into a small cloth bag or on a plate and follow the same procedure.

Cinnamon and tree essential oil is also an excellent natural flavoring agent to eliminate odors from environments and closed places.

6. Use lemon juice for the bad smell of the floors

Lemon is one of the best natural agents to clean the house, eliminate unpleasant odors, and create cheap and very effective home air fresheners. In addition, it is also a bactericide and natural bleach, as it is capable of removing yellow stains from white clothes.

Now, how to use lemon to get rid of bad odors? To aromatize smelly environments, pour natural lemon juice into a bowl and take it to the microwave for 3 minutes at maximum power. Carefully remove the bowl and place it in a place that has a bad smell. You will immediately notice how the fresh smell fills the house!

Another option is to boil water with several pieces of lemon and scrub the floors with this mixture. The effect is double because on the one hand we aromatize the house with the steam of the lemon and we disinfect the floors with its water.

7. Use cloves to repel pests and prevent their bad smell

Did you know that cloves are one of the best products to eliminate annoying odors from poorly ventilated places? Its pronounced and fresh smell also works as a natural inhibitor of bacterial growth, one of the most common causes of bad odors in the home.

Not only that, but clove also has medicinal properties: it is said to naturally relieve toothaches, reduce inflammation and eliminate bad breath, among other conditions.

How to use clove to remove bad smell from home? Place a handful of clove sticks in a container and place the container inside furniture, closets, dressers, or rooms that have not been aired for a long time. You will notice its fresh smell right away!

Tips to avoid bad smell at home

Once we eliminate bad odors, it is important to know how to preserve a clean and healthy environment. Therefore, below we list a series of tips to prevent bad odors from taking over your home:

Ventilate your house daily and always first thing in the morning. You can also do it at night, at the last minute. Daily ventilation prevents -to a great extent- a house from acquiring humidity.

Scrub tile floors every day or every other day with water and bleach. If you don’t have bleach, you can use white vinegar and lemon.

Frequently clean the furniture, whatever the material. For fabrics (sofas, armchairs, armchairs, etc.) we recommend steam cleaning.

Air out and clean your shoes. Shoes tend to create bad odors in the home, so it is advisable to wash them from time to time and air them after each use.

Avoid storing damp or wet clothes. The reason is very simple, by storing wet clothes we are promoting the proliferation of mold and fungus on clothes, something that will make them smell bad and spoil. Therefore, you should only store your clothes when they are completely dry.

Regularly clean the bathroom, since it is the room in the home that most tends to generate bacteria and bad odors. For example, after every shower, open the window and let the environment dry. If, on the other hand, you have your kitten’s litter box in the bathroom, clean it with water and bleach at least twice a week. This applies even if you use clumping litter since the smell of our pets tends to permeate the surroundings and the litter box itself.

Do a thorough cleaning of appliances once a month or every two months. In this way, we will avoid the proliferation of mold in the filters or inside the appliances.

As you can see, it is very easy to get rid of bad smells at home, especially from environments that have been closed for a long time or have not been cleaned. If you liked these tricks, we will teach you how to remove mildew stains from clothes.

If you are feeling lost and confused, frustrated or insecure, come back to yourself, back to what you’re doing today when you arrive, you will find yourself, just like the lotus flower that is in full bloom even in a murky lake, stunning and sturdy.” -Masaru Emoto. Masaru Emoto

Affixed to a card by an individual whose husband and father of their four year old son was suffering from stroke My yoga instructor Susan graciously opened the class. The card read: “No Mud, No Lotus”.

The remainder of class we practiced yoga poses of strength in surrender–like the lotus flower that emerges victoriously clean above murky waters–representative of how each of us can overcome life’s painful challenges. In many cultures the lotus flower is a symbol of cleansing of the mind, body and speech; of waking up and surrendering. It is a symbol of strength in the way that rain from dark clouds flows effortlessly off its petals before it is open to the sun which is followed. Each pose we practiced by observing with a keen eye and coming to peace with the dark under the lotus, our sadness, fear or anger as well as other uncomfortable emotions to release these. We felt the visceral arousal inside our bodies.

The muddy, murky waters of failure, loss and disappointment, as well as other negative emotions that each person experiences is not as easy as it sounds. How can we nurture our own symbolic lotus flowers to emerge triumphantly from your darkness? think? While I was contemplating the lotus and the lotus, it brought me back to the tasks I perform with my clients who I coach.

The key to managing negative emotions is to first observe

Instead of judging, stuffing and shaming, refusing to acknowledge the situation, yelling at or avoiding the unpleasant moment that has awaited us We can develop the ability to handle difficulties in a more effective way. An easy way to describe mindfulness is to be an “objective observer” of the present. It shifts us rapidly from the primitive, fear-focused portion of the brain, to the advanced higher-level brain, from which the solutions are created. This is crucial, as fear can rob us of vital clarity and energy to tackle our problems. It is possible to learn to concentrate instead on our strengths to solve problems which boosts our energy and resilience.

Being mindful can lead to truthful real life. It’s the first step towards transforming our negative thoughts in order to create a more positive life. When we face our emotions honestly our feelings, we are able to be compassionate towards us. Self-compassion is about adopting a mindful, balanced approach to negative emotions, so that they aren’t ignored or overemphasized. It is from this point that growth and learning take place.

Being aware of a negative feeling isn’t a reason to not like, expect or seek to achieve the possibility of a better outcome. It’s not a passive attitude to life. Rather, being mindful allows us to experience hard moments such as conflict, stress or failure–to learn and grow from these experiences–rendering them less acute and more manageable. Additionally, it assists us overcome our struggles in order to see the fullness of living in a much more positive way.

The “Undoing” Effects of Positive Emotions

Negative emotions are an integral part of the human experience. Some of them I consider “authentic”–because they can bring positive change and contribute to improvement. Certain I refer to as “counterfeit” which can be debilitating and causing unnecessary tension and misery. Once you’ve established the difference between genuine and fake the next step to “undoing” the negative emotion is to deliberately cultivate a positive one to replace it. Studies about”the “undoing impact” that positive feelings bring suggest that people can boost their health by invoking positive emotions in the right moments to manage negative emotions. Evoking a positive mood can help to release the grip the negative emotion has accumulated over a person’s body and mind. For instance, if you feel dejected after finding out that someone else won the job you wanted to get, you can develop the feeling (and strength of character) of gratitude while you choose to focus on other good things in your existence. This helps us learn to self-regulate and to bring our best selves to the forefront–strengthening our emotional health, our relationships with others, and making us more productive and content.

We can gain strength from people who triumphantly emerged from dark waters of loss and focused their attention on the things they “have” instead of the things they “lost.” One inspiring example is the blind designer Chris Downey. He began losing his vision after two days of the removal of a tumor in his brain after which, on the third day the tumor was gone completely. But, despite the numbing difficulties that followed, Downey claims he never ever thought of quitting his profession of architecture. According to Downey at the age of 45, awakening blind and with none of the smell sense (also dislocated in the surgery) was “quite honestly, it was really frightening.” However when asked about the development that resulted from his ability to create buildings that offer accessibility for blind people the architect replied “I’m 100% convinced that I’m a better architect now than I was when I was blind.” When asked if he was able to see again tomorrow could he continue to utilize his newfound ability to “feel” the designs he makes in his work? He replied “There’d–be some sort of logistical freedom to it. But would it enhance my life? I don’t know.”

Building Resilience

Resilience is the ability to find the meaning and significance in life’s “losses” and your life’s “successes.” It’s the capacity to bounce back and quickly recover from challenges or difficulties. It’s crucial to remember that it’s possible to build the habit of gratitude as well as other good feelings in the moments of tragic events.

The most important ingredient to build resilience is to place our self-concept into the core strengths of our personality that define our individuality. Positive psychology has identified 24 strengths as the fundamental elements that define our uniqueness, psychologically speaking. Each of us has each of them in different levels and combinations. These strengths, which are widely admired all over the world, can be classified as positive qualities that benefit oneself as well as others. They can lead us to happier feelings, relationships and to fulfilling and meaningful activities in our lives that allow us to flourish.

Recognizing your strengths as a person will increase your confidence to face any challenge you face. Nobody can anticipate the future, and we frequently cause stress by focused on and worry about the possibility of what “might occur.” Although we can’t forecast our future events, we are able to be grateful for our strengths, which will increase our confidence and capacity to handle whatever challenges the future may bring.

The self-concept you create around your strengths helps build your capacity to stay strong no matter where you go, regardless of the circumstances that affect you. Individuals like Chris Downey are examples of not just the ability to overcome challenges, but post-traumatic growth. Research shows that post-traumatic growth and resilience have the following characteristics:

• Better relations ( kindness, love)
• The willingness to explore the possibilities of new ideas ( curiosity, imagination, love of learning)
• Appreciation of the present ( appreciation of beauty, gratitude, zest)
• Personal strength (bravery, honesty, perseverance)
• Spiritual development (spirituality)

Additional research on the development of resilience indicates that bravery is among the traits that are which is strongly linked to resilience. It was discovered that courage was associated with the recovery of satisfaction with life after physical ailments, and also to post-traumatic growth. Resilience also requires the development of bravery, which can be described as the ability to take action in situations where you are feeling fear or trepidation (i.e. bravery). People who are brave don’t shy away from danger or challenge or suffering, and can face difficult situations with more ability to withstand the pressures of life with greater.

Connect, Care, Create

Everybody experiences difficulties and disappointmentsTherefore, negative emotions are a normal aspect of life. In my book, Authentic Strengths, I have synthesized evidence-based techniques to manage negative emotions into an easy to remember, three-step tool that I call: “Connect-Care-Create.” This tool can help you process common negative emotions associated with personal and professional disappointments, losses or failures.

In the first place, since our brains tend to overstate the significance of a single incident and become stuck in a never-ending cycle of doubt The three-step procedure of the Connect-Care-Create tool starts with focusing mindfully on our body, and then observing the emotions, which can help end the rumination by providing our brain something fresh and objective to concentrate on. It also encourages the self-care and self-compassion, by helping us recognize that emotions that are negative are normal part of life and that we aren’t “singled to death”. Thirdly, this process aids us in dissolving the negative emotion making use of our strengths as a lens through which to tackle the issue, thereby creating a positive outlook or emotion to reverse the negative effect that the negativity has on us. It is known that memory and emotions that are attached to them are able to alter[8] shortly after being recalling them, and especially in the next hour.

In short this is the method:

Connect Locate a peaceful secure and safe area, then get into a comfortable sitting place. Take a moment to relax and breathe a couple of peaceful breaths. While closing your eyes “connect” by taking a moment of silence and looking at a negative emotion that you feel or experienced in the past, you are comfortable to explore at this moment. Pay attention to every aspect of the feeling without being judgmental, shameful or trying to avoid it. Let yourself observe the emotion objectively while being gentle and understanding towards yourself. Be honest about the emotion, without blame anyone or anything like, “I feel anxious and scared.” Which part of your body are you feeling the emotion the most (your shoulders, stomach, back, chest or back, etc. )?

Care: Practice self-care. Relax the place where you hold an emotion that is negative. It may be beneficial to put your hands on the area of your emotional reaction with a healing intent. Each time you exhale, think of it dissolving in the area of your body. It will dissolve as a ice cube warm water. Give yourself a hug by reminding you that everyone goes through tough moments, losses or failure, as well as mistakes. Remind yourself that everything will be well, and that you’ll provide yourself with the help you need to make it through this difficult time and you’ll make the necessary changes to improve the situation. It’s also beneficial to engage in a positive routine that helps release the emotions like talking to a friend who is compassionate to you, going for a walk or doing yoga, praying and meditation and listening to upbeat music or reading something inspirational and writing the emotion down and putting the paper away and taking a shower etc.–whatever helps to boost your spirits.

Creator: Recognize that you can choose and are able to handle this difficult emotion in a new and creative way. Find a strength in your character like hope, forgiveness perspectives, courage and creativity as well as self-kindness and others, gratitude and more. To aid you in changing the negative emotion and bring about a positive change in your outlook that will benefit you. What can you gain and develop from this incident? What are the new positive emotions you feeling right now? Watch the negative emotion slowly disappear and then lose its influence over you as new positive emotions develop to replace it. Feel free to celebrate this by taking a break and enjoying a relaxing exercise.