Home sun protection

You may be protected from the sun, but is your furniture?

If I?m going to a Rockies game or taking a hike in the mountains, there?s usually a small arsenal of sunscreen coming with me.

I don?t want to wind up looking like a tomato, so I reapply throughout the day and protect my face with a hat and sunglasses.

The threat of a nasty sunburn helps us remember to protect our skin, but what about our houses? They might not turn red and start asking for aloe, but our houses and furniture are both susceptible to sun damage, just like we are.

While you don?t want to start mixing SPF 30 into your carpet, there are a few simple ways to protect different parts of your house from the sun.

Here?s How:

1. Outdoor patio. This area generally gets a lot of sunshine, so your patio furniture can fade, bleach, crack and dull over time. To prevent damage, consider investing in weather covers to protect your patio furniture when it?s not in use. You can also purchase an outdoor furniture protector spray for about $10 at your local hardware store. If you have aluminum patio furniture, try using car wax as a protector.

2. Living room furniture. If your living room receives a lot of light, the fabric of your furniture can become brittle, and it will break more easily. This is especially true for smoother fabrics like silk. To protect your furniture, pull the blinds during the brightest part of the day. Or, try covering the areas that receive the most sun with a decorative blanket.

3. Rugs. The colors of your rug will fade over time if the rug is placed in a very sunny area. If only part of the rug is getting rays, this will wind up looking a little odd. Rotate your rug end-to-end once a year to balance out any possible color changes.

4. Artwork. Paintings that are displayed in direct sunlight will fade and lose color. Check the location of your paintings to see if they?re getting sun and, if necessary, move them to an area that does not receive direct sunlight. If possible, consider framing your artwork under glass with UV protection.

Chick here to read about additional household smarts during summertime.

Allen Shulman is a veteran homebuilder, proud dad, and floor hockey enthusiast. He co-founded BrightNest, a Denver-based business that gives people the online tools, tips and motivation to keep their homes in great shape.

Source: http://blogs.denverpost.com/coloradoathome/2012/07/25/home-sunburned/

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