Spring cleaning and organizing

To keep your home clutter free there are yearly habits that should be implemented that will allow for your home to look its best. Additionally, doing a little organizing will also make your day to day life function decidedly better as well.

1. Pack up Winter clothes-
Even if you have ample closet space, by the time Spring arrives it is time to go through the closets, dressers and drawers and pack away winter clothing. By doing this, you free up valuable space for your lighter clothing. It also helps you have a current inventory of what you have vs. what you may need for the Spring and Summer months.
2. Garage clean up equals money-
Garages get overloaded as the years go by and no time is better than the Spring to give your garage a good clean out. If you have a truck use the flat bed for all items you plan on discarding. Make sections in your driveway for Keeping, Donating, and Selling. Once your Donate section is full go ahead and take that to the people/places that will be using your donated items. By doing this, you will keep each section from overflowing. Do the same with items you will be discarding, each time your truck is full make a run to your landfill. Many landfills have separate recycling bins for wood, plastics, and scrap metal. You may want to separate your items ahead of time in the same categories and take them individually to the landfill.
3. Attic Discoveries-
You can do attics next since they tend to have less stored in them than garages. Attic space is an ideal place to store things you may need through out the year. Pay close attention to what you may want to store in an attic vs. the garage. Clean your attic out by removing all things that are not needed in one years time and relocate them to the garage. Holiday decorations, and Seasonal clothing are well suited for the attic as you can more conveniently access them when you need them.
4. Invest in more storage-
If you have a yard, you may want to consider an additional storage unit ie: Utility building or shed. These are ideal for storing things like Riding and push lawnmowers, garden tools, etc. For anywhere from $500.00 and up you can add not only storage but value to your home. Outbuildings and storage buildings are considered property improvements. If you were to have your home appraised, these buildings would be factored into your home's value right along with your fence, etc.

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Giving space an identity in your home

Image via Wikipedia

It may be hard to fathom the idea of anyone having wasted space but many homes that are being built today have excess space in the building plans. Many spaces have no defined purpose, they are just there. With so many new home constructions overflowing with rooms and spaces that have no identity it is a challenge to know what to do with the area.

Beware when shopping, this may be just to make the buyer think they are getting more house for their money but when a house has a lot of  “dead” space the costs to fill these areas can be costly too, not to mention heat and cool.

All rooms need an identity of some kind. Whether it is a sitting room, a study, a home office, or maybe

has the potential to be extra storage space it is important for the home owner to find a use for it. Why?

Empty space has to be heated and cooled, so it makes sense to find some way to utilize the space. Open spaces with no identity that are viewable by many need to have a use that is visually appealing firstly and functionality is a bonus.

4edc These types of spaces generally can be sitting areas, or one can add shelving and convert into a reading room/study or library. Spaces that are not easily viewable by the casual guest can be used as play areas for children, a meditation room, or a “pet area.” Some spaces that are partially exposed can be enclosed and made into a large walk in closet. Consider a second laundry area for ironing and sewing, especially in a two story home that has the laundry area on the main floor, a second laundry area where the family can place hampers, store winter clothes, or iron clothes is handy. Here are a few suggestions for using wasted or dead space in your home.

Art room

play room

study/library

home office

pet area

additional storage

multi media room

meditation room

Craft room

Sewing room

By giving these areas a purpose, you are increasing the functionality of your home. Decorate these rooms just as tastefully as the rest of your home for a finished and welcoming space you will no doubt go out of your way to enjoy and use.