Outdoor Kitchens
Making dinner and eating outdoors is one of the best parts of summer! Make it easy by creating a gourmet outdoor kitchen in your backyard. You’ll be able to host family and friends like a pro with just a few additions to your patio. When it comes to putting together an outdoor kitchen, there are some basic things you will want to include. RC Willey has everything you need to put together an amazing outdoor kitchen. 
Outdoor Kitchens
The more practical you can make your outdoor kitchen, the better. If you have the ability to build cabinets or include an outdoor island, do it! Storage for extra grill propane tanks, charcoal, and outdoor dishes will keep your backyard organized and clean.
via SF Girl
If you are planning on doing a lot of food prep work outside, an outdoor sink is a must. Not only will you have somewhere to clean fruits and vegetables and wash hands, a sink outdoors is great for filling with ice and chilling drinks.
Create food prep stations. Definitely make a specific space for your grill and smoker. Make sure grills are far enough away from your house or any other structure for safety purposes. If you like making homemade pizza, why not include a pizza oven? If you’ll be preparing drinks, include a bar like this wicker one and make your outdoor kitchen the place people want to be!
via Decholic
Have a designated dining place away from the food prep and grills, but close enough to be convenient. Look for a dining table that will fit the space appropriately. If you have a lot of kids or want to fit more people around the table, an outdoor dining table with a bench instead of chairs like this is a good option.
via Camping Livez
Finally, you’ll want to make your outdoor kitchen and eating area somewhere people want to linger and spend their time. Adding a firepit will help keep the party going even after the sun goes down.
What would you include in your outdoor kitchen?
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Refrigerator and Freezer Temperature
Are your refrigerator and freezer at the correct temperature to store your food safely? It can be easy to ignore the temperature of these appliances and end up with ice crystals on your food in the refrigerator or slightly thawed food in the freezer.
Your refrigerator should be kept around 37° - 40° to keep everything cool enough to be safe.
Freezers should be kept at 0° in order to keep things completely frozen.
Lots of fridges and freezers only have a dial system without the actual temperature displayed to control the temperature. If you are worried about whether your refrigerator and freezer are at the correct temperature, you may want to use an appliance thermometer to check.
Don’t risk getting sick! Store your food correctly and safely, and make sure you check out all the refrigerators and freezers at RC Willey.
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Home Office Inspiration
Working at home shouldn’t mean sitting in an empty room with no personality or style! If you have a home office, take the time to make it somewhere you want to be. I’ve talked before about how to design your office and how to organize it, but that won’t be much help you don’t have any ideas of what your finished product will look like. Keep reading for home office inspiration and remember that RC Willey has everything you need to outfit your office.
Home Office Inspiration
Where did you find your home office inspiration?
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Blue Dining Rooms
Blue is such a soothing, calming color. While it may not be the color you immediately think of when it comes to a dining room, blue dining rooms can be beautiful! There are so many shades of blue and ways to incorporate the color into your dining room. Look at some of the different ways to create blue dining rooms below and check out all the dining table options at RC Willey.
Would you have a blue dining room in your home?
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Patio Furniture Arrangement
Setting up an outdoor space is actually very similar to setting up a living space in your home. There is no set guide in figuring out a patio furniture arrangement - every outdoor space is completely different! Don’t worry though. There are some basic arrangements that, if you use for inspiration, won’t let you down.
Patio Furniture Arrangement
There are a couple of things to keep in mind before you start setting up your patio. First, you need to decide how you want to use your patio. Are you going to focus on dining or conversation? Once you’ve decided, you need to think through traffic patterns. Decide how people will enter, access each seat, and exit the area. Don’t just stop at the furniture! Think of accessories that will make your outdoor space feel like home. With that, here are some ideas on how to arrange your patio furniture!
via RC Willey
With a sofa and two chairs, you can’t go wrong. This is a classic set up that offers a lot of seating without feeling too cluttered.
via The Futurist
Skip out on the longer sofa and find two loveseats. Even though a loveseat offers less seating options than a sofa, it’s smaller size will allow you fit in more chairs. You’ll be able to move the chairs as needed, making it work better for people who want more versatility.
With two sofas, you’ll be able to create a sectional, giving you a chance to create a more designated space in your yard. If you have a large patio and aren’t sure how to fill it, this is a good option to split up space.
via Ballard Designs
Short, narrow patios don’t allow for much face-to-face seating, so a pair of chairs next to each other and facing the same direction is your best bet.
There are so many different patio furniture arrangement options! Come check out RC Willey's patio furniture to see what will work best at your home.
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What's Your Decorating Style Quiz
Before taking on any home project that involves new architecture, design, color, or furniture, one of the best things to do is figure out what makes you tick! It's easy to get on pinterest and find beauty in every design style, but narrowing down the style you like very best for your home will help you immensely when it comes to being able to make confident, quick decisions.
So, if you had to define your decorating style, how would you do it? If you're unsure, take this Decorating Quiz by Pop Sugar to find out! My results came back as Eclectic Chic, which is pretty much spot on!
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How to Clean a Glass Cooktop
I don't know if you have a glass cooktop in your kitchen, but I do and it's a mess. I wipe it down all the time, but I feel like no matter what I do there is a little bit of something still stuck to the cooktop. It's the worst! My kitchen may be spotless, but that cooktop really makes it look disgusting. On my quest to find out how to clean a glass cooktop, I found this YouTube video I thought I'd share. Check it out below!
Don't forget that RC Willey has all the kitchen appliances you need and let me know if you've found another way to clean a glass cooktop that's worked for you!
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Best Way to Clean Patio Furniture
Are you looking for the best way to clean patio furniture? I don’t know where you are, but here in Salt Lake, it’s starting to heat up, which means it’s time to pull out all our patio furniture! Winter can be hard on patio furniture. Dust, dirt, and old leaves collect around furniture outdoors, and the last thing you’d want to do is sit on something that dirty. Fortunately, there are so easy ways to clean your patio furniture, regardless of what it’s made of.
Best Way to Clean Patio Furniture
Before you start really cleaning your furniture, you need to brush or wipe off any dirt, dust, and leaves that are on your tables and chairs. You might want to spray the furniture down with a hose to make sure you’ve gotten everything. After you’ve gotten rid of loose dirt and grime, how you clean your furniture will depend on the material it is made of.
METAL
Metal patio furniture is easy to clean. Not only is it extremely durable, it shines up nicely! Grab a sponge, some dish soap, and warm water and you’ve got yourself some clean patio furniture. If you see any rust on your metal furniture, use some steel wool to remove it. You may need to repaint your furniture to prevent further rusting.
PLASTIC
Much like metal, plastic patio furniture is extremely easy to clean. Spray down your furniture with all-purpose cleaning and wipe it down with a damp cloth. Good as new!
WOOD, WICKER, AND TEAK
Avoid using a power sprayer with patio furniture made out of these materials as you might end up spraying off the finish or denting the soft material. Instead, use an oil-based soap like Murphy Oil Soap mixed with warm water to gently scrub off grime. Wicker furniture can be tricky with the small crevices, so you may want to consider using a hose, not power sprayer, to spray down the furniture and prevent build-up. Dry all your wood furniture after you’re done and for older patio furniture made of hardwood, you may want to sand down and restain it every couple of years to keep it looking new.
OUTDOOR CUSHIONS
Combine 1 teaspoon dishwashing detergent, 1 quart of warm water, and 1 tablespoon of Borax to create a cleaning solution. Using a sponge, scrub off any dirt or stains you see. Once the cushions are clean, spray them down with the hose to remove the cleaning solution and set the cushions out in the sun to dry completely. You may want to vacuum your cushions down regularly and bring them inside or under a tarp during storms to keep them cleaner longer.
RC Willey has whatever patio furniture you may need to get your yard looking just right! Check out what they have and let us know which one is your favorite!
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Kitchen Inspirations
My kitchen is small, a little bit cramped, and definitely lacking in storage space. We have plans way down the line to completely remodel it, but for now I just spend my time imagining and visualizing what it might be someday. Actually, I’ve started looking online for some kitchen inspirations and I thought I’d share some with you in case you’re dreaming of a new kitchen as well!
Kitchen Inspiration
via Wit & Delight
via Decoholic
When you get your kitchen exactly how you want it to be, check out RC Willey to get the perfect appliances!
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How To Make Your Home Fire Safe
If your home caught on fire tonight, would you and your family be adequately prepared to escape safely? Today's blog post is a serious topic that has become very sensitive to me lately. A couple of months ago we woke up one night at 1:00 a.m. to the sound of several fire engines blaring their sirens and racing down our quiet street. We jumped out of bed, ran out onto our front porch, and in horror, saw that the home two houses down from us was completely engulfed in fire. It was one of the most horrifying and tragic things I've ever witnessed. It took fire fighters 45 minutes to contain the flames enough to the point where they could enter the home, and tragically, our elderly neighbor was killed. I won't get into the detials, but the saddest part about the whole situation for me was that it all could have been prevented.
Fire safety is a big deal. It's not enough to just own a couple of smoke detectors, and hope for the best. Educate yourself! It's not only a good idea, but it could end up saving your life, or the lives of the people you love someday. I encourage you to talk to your local fire fighters to find resources in your area that can help, but in the mean time here is a great list of things you can do now to help you make your home fire safe.....
SMOKE DETECTORS
-Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and outside every sleeping area. Also, install a carbon monoxide alarm in a central location outside each separate sleeping area.
- Test batteries on smoke detectors monthly, and switch out batteries annually.
- Clean your smoke detectors of any dust and cobwebs every month to ensure they are working properly.
IN THE KITCHEN
- Use a pan or skillet lid to smother grease fires. Never use water! It will just ignite the flames.
- Teach children not to play around the stove, and never them unattended while things are cooking.
- Keep a fire blanket within easy reach of the stove in case of oil fires.
- Don’t overload electrical outlets or power boards with multiple appliances.
- Keep a working fire extinguisher in the kitchen.
CREATE AN ESCAPE PLAN & HOLD FIRE DRILLS
- Plan at least two fire escape routes from every room in the home.
- Teach children what smoke alarms sound like, and what to do when they hear one.
- Teach children to crawl low and keep their mouths covered, and to STOP, DROP & ROLL if their clothing catches on fire.
- Teach children to feel closed doors with the back of their hand. If not hot, slowly open the door and check for smoke and fire. If hot, use another exit.
- Get several rope or chain ladders that can be used from second-story windows in the event that stairways are inaccessible.
- Teach children how to open windows and climb to safety.
- Teach children never to return to a burning building.
- Establish an outside meeting place, where family members can meet, and call for help.
- Practice your family fire drill at least twice a year. Get it down so that everyone can safely exit the house in two minutes or less.
ELECTRICITY
- Replace cords that are cracked or frayed.
- Use safety plugs in electrical outlets, especially if you have small children.
- Avoid overloading outlets and running cords under carpets and furniture.
PORTABLE HEATERS
- When possible, avoid the use of portable heaters!
- Keep heaters at least three feet from anything flammable.
- Always turn off heaters when leaving the house or going to sleep.
- Plug heaters directly into wall outlets.
IF YOU SMOKE...
- No smoking inside the house is a wise decision!
- Never smoke in bed, or when drowsy or medicated.
- Use deep ash trays and be very cautious if you do choose to smoke inside.
MISCELLANEOUS
- Keep matches and lighters up high, away from children.
- Never leave a burning candle unattended.
- Clean out the dryer vent duct regularly.
- Clean out the gutters and make sure your roof is free of debris.
- Trim around the outside of your house, and remove shrubs around the air conditioning unit.
- Make sure your house number is easily readable from the street, even at night.
What am I missing? Anything else??
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