How to Customize Your Favorite Couch?

Spending hours with popcorn in hand, gazing at your favourite episodes of Netflix, or chatting with your bestie with your headphones on… All of us have some of the other reasons why we are so drenched in love for our Couch! A couch/sofa is one of the vital pieces of furniture in our homes and the way it looks influences the tone of your interior.

Some brands bespoke the seating according to your taste. But how about designing your favourite seating in your style? It is a myth that designing your sofa is a prolonged process. Whereas it is just a matter of proper planning and patience. Be it crafting something out-of-the-ordinary – choosing from monochromes or pastels, and picking up plush textures to bold colours, you can’t resist getting everything your way. When you get to design something on your own, think about what makes you happy, what lifts your mood, and what compliments your walls.

Check out our step-by-step guide to design your couch by yourself:

1. Stroll with the time

Time management is one of the prime factors in couch customization, mistaking it to be an intimidating process. But pre-planning everything will make the process smooth and fast.  Take a parallel walk with time, note down all your tasks to be done while making room for designing your furniture.

2. Know your furniture

The first step after planning for customization is to scrutinize your sofa/couch. What’s the size of your furniture that has to be curated, the dimensions with the arm silhouettes, and the fine-edged legs need to be assessed.

What if you’re planning to add your customized furniture in a new space? Then you should mind the area of space too – the particular furniture is proportionate to space or not, how will it look, and a lot more.

If the area you’re planning to install your furniture is small, oversized furniture will ruin the look.

Also, the colors that you plan to add depends on the size of your room and the dimensions of your couch.

Every little detail matters when it comes to designing your sofa. You need not be specific to the size, but you should have an idea of the same. Since this process will help you in the next set of steps, knowing your sofa is simply the base and the other aspects revolve around it.

3. Choose the Upholstery

We believe that the fabrics that your furniture wears reflect your personality. The fabrics should also match the style, décor, and type of space. Let’s say it’s a formal room or office space, you should just pick an elegant color, maybe black or grey or any other pastel color will suit the serenity. But if it’s a children’s room, the brighter tints will look great. The colors should pop out and say about the space.

You can select from the following fabrics for a better experience:

Cotton:

Cotton is pure, comfortable, affordable and it has resistance to wrinkling. The best quality cotton blends usually contain about 46% to 60% cotton.

Microfiber:

Microfiber is an ultra-soft polyester fabric made to be stain-resistant. These are quite softer and easier to clean which are made of tightly woven synthetic fibers, thereby providing durability and moisture resistance. Microfibers are not so expensive and are suitable for big-sized sofas.

Faux Leather Upholstery:

Faux leather upholstery fabric is resistant to moisture, mildew and fungus growth. This fabric can absorb heat and protect it for longer. It enhances the look of your furniture with the right blend of cushions atop. You can find n number of designs and textures in faux leathers and the best part is its durability which can go wash free for longer.

Linen:

Linen fabrics are made up of flax and are extremely strong. It is a kind of natural textile fiber implying soft, smooth and naturally lustrous fabric that offers excellent durability. Linen has a well-deserved reputation for eco-friendliness. Linen possesses a natural resistance to bacteria, microflora, and mildew, making it a great choice for those with allergies.

4. Comfort Constraint

Don’t think the couch you’ve picked up is comfortable just because when you first sat on it you fell for it. You have to consider other aspects as well, as the height and size of the possible users, space it will be placed in, etc. The height and softness of the armrests and back-rest, along with the composition of the fabric. Avoid using slippery fabrics, as this won’t prevent your body from sliding into a bad posture and getting cramps or back pain. To avoid back problems, it is recommended that our legs are at an angle of 90º while we are seated.

How comfortable your couch is, is the main constraint for using it in the long run. Decide your couch keeping in mind all these aspects and the space constraint.

5. Selections to suit your style

To make the couch align with your home décor, walls, and space – you should pick some cushions that bring out the best on your couch. You can go for vibrant colours ( against a pale or light coloured fabric), aesthetic prints or colourful cushions all-together.

The cushions or artifacts will surely add a touch of elegance to your couch and the area where it is placed. You can also go for wall textures/paintings to contrast your furniture.

If you want customized furniture to match your interiors then try hiring carpenters from ServicePik and see the magic!

Pretty enough tips, right? We hope these tips can be of good enough for your interiors, and we won’t mind any pictures (share with us, please) that you click post the makeover. Well, if you are keen on trying out attractive wallpapers and wall colours for your beautiful home along with the furniture. ServicePik is the most desired solution provider for that matter. Explore www.servicepik.com for more!

Fitness Guide for Busy People

We know you’re too busy, but when it comes to health you should not miss this quick read! People are racing, and are busy chasing the next coin. But the reality is, the busier we become, the shorter our days. We don’t find much time to exercise and focus on our well-being, 24 hours seem too less for us after work. Our daily routine has confined us to earn money for living a better life that we neglect our health and fitness. With every passing hour, the race to maintain our health becomes challenging but we fail to learn how to achieve a healthy lifestyle with our busy schedule.

1. Never miss your breakfast

We rush for our work and skip the very first meal of the day. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day that we shouldn’t miss or forget. Most of us usually sip a glass of milk or the morning coffee/tea, but that is not enough. We must always eat something healthy before we scoot out to work.

What you can have: Cereals or cornflakes, muesli or oats, vermicelli or upma etc. Anything that is healthy and can fill your tummies for a longer duration.

2. Healthy snacks in between meals

We usually have a habit of taking 3 meals a day, including breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eat-in small amounts after every two hours so that your stomach is always a little full and you don’t feel hungry abruptly during the day.

What you can have: Digestive biscuits, homemade cookies, fruits, nuts, salad etc.

3. A healthy punch to keep you hydrated

We have discussed what you can eat, but what’s healthy in beverages? Drink tons of water to keep your body hydrated. According to a study published by the journal Obesity in 2015 – drinking two full glasses of water half an hour before eating causes moderate weight loss over the duration of 12 weeks.

And if you want a little sweet or sour punch, you can try sipping on buttermilk, coconut water, lemonade in place of plain water once in a while.

4. Work out at your workplace

Don’t focus too much on laptops, but try to move and stretch in between. Working out is not limited to the gym only, you can exercise at your desk only. We have listed down some exercises that you can do right away, Check out some cool desk exercises online.

Avoid using the lift or escalator, instead, take the stairs. Try walking in the office corridor while on call or chatting with your colleagues – rather than sitting idle and having the conversation.

After having your meal, utilize your lunch break for a walk. Make a habit of walking in the office premises after an hour of sitting at one place. Got to go for a meeting? If possible, opt for an outdoor meeting with your clients so that you can literally ‘Walk and Talk”.

5. Yoga and Meditation

If you are not comfortable with the workplace exercises, then you can do Yoga. Yoga heals your body, protects you from several diseases, pours in positivity and gives power to your mind and soul. We have made it even easier for you to perform this activity, you can hire trained yoga experts from online service providers like ServicePik. Relax, rejuvenate and revitalize with Yoga and Meditation.

6. Break up with your unhealthy habits

Do away with unhealthy intakes such as alcohol, cigarette, drugs, sweets and fast or junk food. These unhealthy habits will surely hamper your health, so better to break up with them!

It’s of no use to spend money on a gym or personal trainer sessions in order to be fit and healthy. You only need to have an ample amount of dedication and self-confidence. Nowadays, there are so many applications to help you exercise, guide and get trained. There is an application that reminds you to take water, an application is available to make you realize that you’re sitting for too long and you need to move! If you’re really busy, you must take the help of the technology. Take great care of your body, and it will take care of you too. In case, you’re too annoyed with so many apps, simply hire at-home fitness trainers from ServicePik at your convenience.

Top 7 Ways: How a Healthy Workplace can be Achieved!

In this era of work-focused life, employee needs and support within the workplace drives productivity at a fast pace? Every establishment irrespective of its size has its own culture, values, priorities, the workforce, mission and vision, and a lot more than varies from organization to organization. A company’s environment broadly depends on these factors for blending them into its work culture! But what makes it a healthy workplace to thrive in?

A positive work-culture is vital for productivity and active engagement within the company. Setting the bar for the right culture and helping it develop at a fast pace is a must in today’s rapidly evolving business world. When the workplace is a happy and healthy space to work in employees become more focussed and productive for driving the business growth a notch higher!

Within a healthy workplace – employees feel valued, safe, comfortable, and they work confidently to grab the opportunity and deliver their best for growth. The company must create an office culture that is mindful of the mental well-being and takes a deterministic-life approach. Since, work takes a major part of one’s life, and is inseparable from your needs and wants.

The question comes, why and how a work culture gets effected?

When companies lack efficient management, factors like stress, overtime, and employee dissatisfaction increases.

This is due to:

• The company only focuses on its growth and not employees’ growth.
• Goals are misunderstood, and misguided
• Communication gap

When these core management functions are accomplished successfully, employee satisfaction increases, lowering stress levels and organizations tend to step towards a positive and healthy work culture.

How to fix the work-culture issues and keep it employee focused?

You can start slow – one step at a time. Employee surveys, feedbacks, and reviews cost too little but are robust ways to dip your toes in to understand the culture that works best for the company. Always plan first and then proceed, keeping the employees’ interests at the top. Being transparent will help you build trust and that will be an important foundation to establish an active and productive culture.

Here are some of the most effective measures to help you transform your workplace into a healthy one!

1. Safety

The importance of safety at the workspace cannot be ignored! Your organization should entail an efficient safety guideline free from any hazards, accidents and risky situations to work in. The infrastructure maintenance issues should be handled quickly and employees need to be provided with written safety guidelines that must be followed to ensure everyone’s wellbeing.

Ensure routine checks and mock drills to avoid any mishaps.

2. Focused

Why and where the company is moving should be clear. Its goals, objectives, and motives should always be inculcated to every employee’s mindset so that everyone all of them works towards achieving the same milestone.

3. Say yes to Ideas

Getting ideas from the maximum number of brains from your company is always a positive point for your company. The more people get involved the more ideas are on board to catapult the growth of any organization.

Employees will also feel that they and their ideas are accounted for the business value of your organization.

4. A team that plays together stays together

An organization that puts more effort into building strong teams, is a leading one. Stress on group efforts where employees depend on one another to produce the best results. A team holds up the employee’s talents and combines it into greater output. This also helps the workforce to learn how to work together, grow together!

Let your teams involved in cross-departmental activities at regular intervals through games, events, award ceremonies, etc. to build stronger bonds for a healthier work environment.

5. Communication

What today’s employees want is regular feedback, clearly communicated goals, and a collaborative work environment to make them feel progressive, unbiased, relevant, and encouraging. Facilitate these through periodical feedback and interactive sessions with the human resource team and understand where the company needs to be more supportive to bring out the best in talented employees.

6. Respect

Employee value, respect, and importance can readily change the employee’s behavior towards the company. If it’s a multi-culture company, value and respect each and every employee’s culture. Making fun of, or disrespecting their customs can make your work culture fail at a bigger cost.

7. Equal Pay

The main confidence booster of the workforce is salary and timely pay. Many employees who are actively seeking the job are looking for a pay hike, so make sure that routine raises/increments should be there to keep your pay rates competitive with other companies, which is essential to retain your existing talent pool.

Because retaining an old employee is cheaper and better than hiring a new one due to a varied range of factors.

A healthy workplace is the one where employees feel valued and supported, provides a healthy workspace, and respect for the other aspects of their life. The happiest employees tend to have a commitment to the organization, and a sense of purpose with which they are most satisfied.

There is not a single solution to quicken the process of healthy work culture. But yes, there are some steps that we have listed above, to make this a part of your organization and make the employees, your golden asset. Identify and understand the building blocks that form a strong foundation for a healthy workplace culture offering employers a clear starting point. Employers have an opportunity to create a workplace where employees can prosper. If you find your employees constantly being under stress, then there are ways you can help – such as yoga sessions. Companies such as ServicePik are available online to help you find the right yoga trainer for your workforce to let them deal with their stress and inculcate a better work environment.

Washing Machine Care Hacks

How to Keep Your Washing Machine Up and Running?

Manually doing your household chores has become a passé! Because smart electronic equipment has taken over the territory to ease off your stress. But imagine the worst-case scenario when any of them breaks down and leaves your life out of place? For example, your much-needed washing machine giving up on you one fine day! How are you going to handle this sudden disaster on the face of your already piling up dirty linen? Well, before it’s too late with this great help of yours, we bring you a couple of quick tips as to how to take care of it.

So, here we go with those amazing washing machine care tips:

1. Perform Deep Cleaning: Though we mostly ignore to show some to our home appliances it’s important to pamper them every once in a while. Because one fine morning it might stop working and make your day troublesome with a pile of dirty clothes to be washed. The minerals found in water are usually harmless for your machine and clothes, but over time detergent, dirt and fabric particles get deposited inside your machine and clog the pores of the tub. This eventually makes the sensors to respond poorly and might result in serious issues. So, ensure to get the washing machine cleaned with a good cleaner at regular intervals for it to function flawlessly. The cleaning solutions are available for less than 500 rupees which are nominal when compared to an out of order washing machine. Yet if you feel that you are not sure of handling it on your own, then calling for professional help is recommended. There are plenty of service providers such as ServicePik to take care of this.
2. Protect it From Splashes and Spillage: Detergent, dirt, and water result in a residual mixture that usually ruin the look of your top-loading machines of late. Because everything such as water, detergent, softeners are poured from the top which leaves splash and spillage marks on the machine exterior. With time build-ups and stains start appearing on your washing machine. Before it goes out of hand and blocks the sensitive parts of your machine ensure to perform regular cleaning of the gasket and the appliance exterior as well.
3. Pick the Appropriate Detergent: Avoid using harsh detergents with your machine, as harsh chemicals might ruin your machine. Not only machine parts but also clothes get spoiled with strong alkalic detergents. Pick an environment-friendly powder or solution recommended for your washing machine.   
4. Safeguard the Finish of Washing Machine: Washing machines are no longer only appliances that clean your laundry, but a piece to show off your interior skills. Yes, you heard it right, they nowadays are a part of the look and feel of the corner you have placed them in. A stylish looking washing machine certainly adds a charm to your space apart from tidying up your dirty linen. For front-loading machines, people even use the top portion as a display table to keep cleaning solutions, detergent powder, and stuff. But, be aware of keeping all the things over time would leave dirt and scratches over the machine surface and ruin its beauty. A sparkling clean machine will enhance the look of your space, unlike a dirty and cluttered one. Make sure to wipe off the top of your machine using a glass cleaner to maintain its original finish and gloss.
5. Clean the Dispenser-Trays: Softener and detergent dispenser trays in your washing machine let the machine to mix water with the softener and soap, and pouring them into the washing tub. Though it’s a clean process, with time a gradual build-up of residue occurs over the trays if not cleaned at regular intervals. Eventually, it leads to bacterial growth and toxic elements that contaminate and ruin the hygiene of your clean clothes.
6. Tidy up the Gasket: Your washing machine’s gasket always goes under the grill with bucket loads of laundry being washed frequently. Detergent spillage and dust are accumulated on the gasket usually on top load machines as dust particles are deposited with every operation (opening and closing the lid). The dirt and grime get stuck to the gasket, and as the gasket doesn’t get properly wet, it is seldom self-cleaned during a laundry session. The gasket protects your clothes and your hands from sharp edges of the machine’s washer-dryer and needs regular to work well. Make sure to clean it up every now and then.
7. Prevent Moisture Deposition Inside the Machine: Once you are done washing clothes or drying them, leave the lip of the machine open for a while. Let the moisture get evaporated, however, you should not leave the lid open for longer and attract dust and grim. Immediately closing the lids will trap the moisture within the machine and result in bacteria and germ build-up. Allow the door to stay open for about 15-20 minutes and then wipe the moisture off with a soft towel.
8. Use a Cover and Trolley for your Machine: As most machines are kept in balconies, make sure to cover it with a plastic cover to protect it from dust or rain splashes. Moreover, use a trolley to keep the machine over it and move it as you desire indoors or outdoors. Clean the cover every 2 to 3 weeks to avoid dust and grim depositions.

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How to beat Air Pollution

Hello Delhiites’! How you breathing?

“Dilli Ka Sab Acha, Sirf Hawa Nahi”

Do you share the same feeling?

Checkout what can help you to combat pollution, it’s just a 5 minutes job.

The title itself says what we are going to talk about but there’s a twist! We are not going to repeat the same words we will be telling you easy ways to beat the pollution instead! Air pollution refers to the presence of excessive amounts of certain impurities such as dirt, dust, and chemical substances, gases, etc. that can be dangerous to health.

As the skies lit up with fireworks on Diwali, pollution peaked across northern India like every other part of the country celebrating this festival of lights.  But the pollution in Delhi  came to the limelight two weeks before Diwali. Making the city, one of the un-safest places to breathe in.

Let’s check the Air Quality Index statistics of New Delhi in October.

The initial days of October served a good air quality index. Post 2^nd October, gradually the air quality started deteriorating as the festival days were ahead. The results prevailing at the month end was worst and Delhi was being called as a poisonous gas house that was hazardous to live in!

The Government of Delhi has already started acting on air pollution through the ‘Odd-Even’ Scheme. But the question is what are we doing on our part and is this enough to beat the demon called ‘Air Pollution’? After the festive season, we are not in a mood to pull our socks down! Since we work to help you in this crucial situation, we have come up with a solution to this issue!

So, let’s list down what can you do to improvise or work on fixing the monstrous pollution in Delhi. Judge yourself on this!

1. How often do you clean your home and outside verandas?
2. Do you prefer wearing a mask or breathe in a fresh air?
3. Do you have plants – both indoors and outdoors?
4. Public transport or your personal vehicle – what’s your pick?
5. Do you have air purifiers at home?
6. The main question, do you or anyone at your place smoke?

While reading the above points, we know you have all the right answers to all of the questions. We always look to blame others for the problems we face, that’s common human tendency. Keep in mind that there is always two parties involved in every issue. Hence, we are also a part of the problems we face! You cannot always blame the society, for polluting the environment. You must always stand first, take responsibility and convince others to follow your steps.

We have jotted down ways to save you from the black chamber outside:

1. The task with utmost priority is cleaning your surroundings. It comprises of cleaning everything from the water tanks to washrooms, rooms having windows and dust prone areas in the house. You can get the cleaning done with the help of service experts from online providers like ServicePik. Many factors can affect the quality of indoor air, from cooking to burning incense. Also ensure to chuck major dust collectors, such as old cushions and heavily upholstered furniture.
2. You can keep air-purifiers at home and to keep the indoor air clean. This air friendly technology can make you free from harmful airborne particles such as dust, dander and pollen, is the best way to cope with allergies as well as other respiratory infections. This is highly recommended for expectant moms-to-be or new mothers, new born babies, toddlers, elderly people, people sensitive to pollens and dust allergies, or pets at home. This is an expensive deal and is only preferable when you spend most of the time indoors.
3. Wear a mask, but a breathable respirator. Because, you shouldn’t get choked by the mask. To avail the benefits, you’ll need to purchase an air-purifying respirator, rather than a facial accessory made from cloth. Wearing a respirator seems essential to those diagnosed with lung infections, asthma, cardiovascular disease and are obese or diabetic.
4. Allow indoor plants to spread freshness and vitality as plants absorb carbon dioxide and release pure oxygen in the environment. If you cannot afford Air purifiers, you can keep air-purifying indoor plants inside your house. Plants such as Snake plant, Spider plant, Boston Fern, Peace Lily etc.  can remove harmful toxins from the air.

You can check the plants that are suitable under this category.

What all services does ServicePik offer?

House Cleaning Services: Take the help of ServicePik experts to get rid of dust and dirt from your house. Home services include Sofa deep cleaning, Bathroom cleaning, Fan cleaning, wiping and cleaning the rooms, floor cleaning, kitchen and living room cabinets, deep cleaning the home, etc.

You can book your house cleaning services through the following link:

https://www.servicepik.com/home-services/

Car Wash Services: Dirty cars, means dirty air. Cars and trucks are one of the leading causes of air pollution — but cleaner vehicles can help limiting the emission and pollution. Keeping your car washed is a low-cost way to protect and prevent against contaminants such as dirt, pollen, tree sap, air pollutants and deceased bugs. To book car cleaning services, you can call ServicePik right away!

Now that you have a fair idea about fighting air pollution on your own, here is a quick Vastu tip for your rescue!

Vastu Tip: Tulsi (Holy Basil) Plant

It is a great air purifier, and is highly significant in Vaastu Shastra. For best results, place a Tulsi plant in a pot in the north, east or northeast direction of your house where there is ample amount of sunlight and air. It brings positive energies and purifies the air with its aroma.

So, to beat Dilli Ka Pollution, follow the above stated tips. We hope that it turns out good for you and the environment. If you have any suggestions or more tips that can help, feel free to share them  in our comments section!