Nature has blessed us with many natural cleaners which make it possible to drop the chemicals in our homes. One of these is the good old lemon. A natural disinfectant, lemons are high in citric acid, are antibacterial and have a low pH making them great candidates for many clean up jobs. When life gives you lemons... These cheery citrus fruits are one of your home's hardest working, most flexible cleaning tools. Just look at what they can do: • Freshen your microwave Make the interior easier to wipe down by heating a cup of water and a chopped-up lemon on high until the microwave's window is steamy. Let the bowl sit for 15 minutes before you open the door, and clean away any grime and grease with ease. • De-stink the garbage disposal Run a few lemon rinds through the disposal and follow with cold water to dispel any sour odors. • Remove stains from linens This tip is safe for even delicate or vintage fabrics: Treat a set-in stain with lemon juice and salt. Let the mixture sit for a half hour, then rinse with vinegar and warm water. • Get stains out of a cutting board or butcher block Run the cut side of a lemon over the board to remove food stains and smells. For extra cleaning power, sprinkle it with salt or baking soda first. If your stains are particularly stubborn, let everything sit overnight before you rinse with water. Wipe wooden boards with mineral oil to seal. • Get rid of tarnish on brass Sprinkle tarnished spots with salt, and then lightly rub with a sponge dampened with lemon juice. Rinse with water and dry well. • Remove a rust stain from fabric Try the trusty lemon juice-and-salt combo to fight these tricky stains. Let the item sit in the sun as it dries, and reapply the mixture as needed until the spot disappears. • Shine chrome bathroom fixtures Run the cut side of a lemon over faucets, drains, and more to remove mineral deposits and make 'em sparkle. Rinse and dry thoroughly when you're done. • Remove T-shirt sweat stains Fight those troublesome set-in stains by rubbing them with lemon juice (vinegar works well, too) before you toss the clothing in the wash. • Kill weeds Spray any garden offenders with a little lemon juice to banish them from your yard. But keep the juice away from the plants you want to keep — the acidity could damage or kill flowers and bushes, too. • Create a makeshift scented humidifier Simmer a saucepan of water and some lemon slices (and other aromatics, if you like) to combat dry indoor air, and make your home smell nice in one punch. • Clean a cheese grater Can't free the last bits of cheddar from your grater's holes? Run the flesh side of cut lemon over the tool to help cut through and free the residue. Professional Cleaners

Hi Kathy, loving the blue upholstery on your bed. Very coastal and calming. A great focal point and start to what you trying to achieve [and the dresser too!] You have some great ideas. - have you thought of pendants by either side of the bed instead or just stick to your wall sconces [will give you much lighter / cosier feel]_black string = not bound to finish choices for the lighting body? [you could still use wall sconces - sconces also can go above the dresser [you have lots of options on mixing & matching] - you can relocate the pendant where the door is - where the fan is here [just close it off] - for walls, I would go for breezy/ coastal blue paint to add some life here or sand colour textured wallpaper - start with wall first & the rest will follow naturally and you will expand on with great confidence Message me if you are stuck or need pointing in the right direction. Mischa mMx

Do you like patterned tiles at all? Doesn’t have to be garish and you can keep the pallet simple. I’m thinking tile the whole wall, the same width as the vanity unit, up to the ceiling, similar to first picture. Or if that’s too much, then just tile the space from the sink to the mirror. I would raise the mirror a little so that it doesn’t get too splashed.

Yes, tap. Lived a few years in the US and it seems to have rubbed off on me (so many people there say faucet for tap) 😄