clutter — Home and Garden Diva

Spring Tips For Cleaning Your Basement Like A Pro

If you are like most homeowners, you probably have a lot of clutter in your basement. Spring always brings about a sense of renewal which can motivate you into cleaning out your overloaded basement. If the job seems to overwhelming to tackle, there are some helpful tips that will get your basement organized in no time.

Learn to Let Go

The basement often becomes the catchall place for everything you no longer use, but can’t seem to throw out. You should bring down several large trash bags and some cardboard boxes to sort your items into bags you can discard and boxes you can sell or donate. If you have items you don’t use that are in good condition, selling them or donating them will make you feel better about letting them go.

Create Organizational Spaces

You might have a lot of items stored in your basement that you do use on occasion. Creating areas to properly store these items will not only free up space in your basement it will make your items easier to find when you want them. Both large and small objects can be placed in plastic containers so they can be set on shelves. Shelving units can be purchased for very little money and come in styles made of rust resistant metal for use in basement areas. Plastic storage containers with lids are easy to stack and make create storage bins for out of season clothing.

Scrub Away the Dirt

One reason you might put off cleaning your basement could be due to the amount of dirt and cobwebs that accumulate there. Once you have the items you want to discard, donate or sell out of the basement you can start cleaning some of the areas. A broom is a good tool for getting rid of cobwebs that can form along the ceiling beams and in the corners of the basement.

You can also sweep the concrete to pick up all of the dust that often accumulates over time. You can also use a shop vac if you have one on hand. This type of vacuum can pick up some of the debris often found on basement floors such as discarded screws, sawdust or leaves. If your concrete floor has stains, you can sprinkle some kitty litter over them to help absorb the oils.

Watch Out for Mold

Basements are notorious for being breeding grounds for black mold. This is because they are damp and dark spaces which can be ideal for the growth of mold. If your basement is prone to flooding, you want to pay particular attention to mold growing on walls, floors or even on items stored there. Any items that have mold growing on them should be discarded immediately.

If the concrete floor or walls in your basement have black areas on them, you can use bleach to clean and kill the mold. Take precautions to never touch the mold by wearing rubber gloves. You can use a sponge or sponge mop to distribute the bleach over the affected area. To reduce the risk of mold in humid areas, you can place a humidifier in your basement to collect the water from the air.

Once your basement has been cleaned and organized, you will find it is a better environment to be in. You might even choose to add some flooring and turn it the space into a home office, gym or craft area.

Ben S. is often blogging about home improvement. here he shared with us his recent tips about how to clean the basement, which he did in April this year.

How To Dog-Proof Your Apartment

by Trish

Are you starting to get puppy fever? If so, you’re not alone. Spring time is one of the most popular times of the year to adopt a pet! While it’s a very exciting time in a person’s life when you can finally take the step to caring for a dog, you have to make sure that you’re 100% prepared for this type of responsibility. After you’ve made the decision, here are 5 steps to follow in order to prepare your apartment for your new furry friend.

Get secure lids for trash cans

One of the biggest mistakes dog owners make after getting their first dog is not ensuring that they have quality garbage cans with secure lids. Dogs love to get into the trash, and if you have a swing garbage can or one without a lid at all, you’re pretty much setting yourself up for disaster. Look for the garbage cans with pop up lids or if your new dog is known for being mischievous, consider buying a lid that you can lock when you’re not home. This way you never have to worry whether or not your dog is going to dig through the garbage!

Buy gates

Gates and crates are essential when you adopt your first pet, but you don’t necessarily need to invest in both. When you first bring your new puppy home, it’s important to consider how often you’re going to be around and whether the environment is more apt for a crate or gates. If you have a full time job and you’re not home most of the day, a crate is probably your best bet. On the other hand, if you have the time to stay home with your dog and train them consistently, then you could probably just handle training with gates.

Tape down cords

One of the most notorious traits of puppies is chewing. Whether it’s on a baseboard, on your favorite pair of shoes or your electrical chords, they will find them on the ground and they will try to chew them. The good news is, you can easily prevent this by taping down chords throughout your house to ensure a puppy can’t get to them.

Move plants

Be aware that while plants help bring life to your living space, they aren’t necessarily good to have around puppies. Not only could the plants be dangerous for your pet to eat, but they could be easily knocked over and can create a mess that you will have to clean up later on. To play it safe, just move plants to higher areas that your pet would not be able to access!

Invest in towels – lots of them

When you think you have enough towels, buy more. If you’re not already aware of this, dogs tend to get pretty dirty, whether it’s from playing outside in the rain, jumping into ponds, or simply just walking through mud. Having ample towels around to clean off your dogs paws will definitely come in handy. Also a good thing to remember is that during potty training, you’re going to be cleaning up a lot of messes. Rather than spending all that extra money on paper towels, re-use towels and wash them between each accident. You won’t only be saving money but you’ll be saving the planet, too!

Attached Images:

License: Creative Commons image source

Felicia Walkins is a freelance writer and dog lover. After moving into her first apartment with her pet, she has been dedicated to finding dog-friendly communities for others to live in. She looks forward to the Jackson Twenty One community and hopes her and her pup can live there in happiness!

5 Tips To Ensure Your House Is As Beautiful On The Outside As It Is On The Inside

by Trish

home exterior With the property market stagnant many homeowners have opted to improve their existing homes rather than endure the stress and inconvenience of selling and buying. However it is often too easy to concentrate on improving the interior of your home and, if you are one of those seeking to sell your current home and to move, the importance of creating the right impression on the outside cannot be underestimated. Whether you are looking to sell your property or simply to give it a facelift, the warmer weather and longer daylight hours create the ideal time to concentrate on renovating the outside of your home for maximum kerbside appeal.

Smarten up the entrance

It’s the focal point of any home so it needs a little care. Front doors are unwelcoming if they are dirty, paint-peeling or faded so apply a coat or two of paint or varnish (and don’t be afraid to experiment with vibrant colours, unless you live in a street of period properties where a neutral black be more befitting). Polish the door furniture or better still replace it and ensure house numbers are visible, sparkling and straight.

Upgrade the windows

Window technology is improving all the time and if your existing windows suffer from rotting woodwork, leaking draughts or the unsightly aluminium frames of the 1980s, then now could be an ideal time to upgrade with modern uPVC replacements. New windows will not only offer improved sound and heat insulation but will also give your property an immediate facelift. Do take care to choose a style in keeping with the age of the house; the position of the glazing bars is crucial. With a wide range of windows at Wickes and expert advice on hand, you can be confident of choosing the perfect design to add a touch of class to your home.

Brickwork and Cladding

In older properties in particular the mortar between the bricks may need repointing to give your home improved protection against the elements and also a fresh appearance. Small areas can be completed by a competent DIYer but large expanses should be tackled by an expert who will also ensure the mortar is colour-matched to the brickwork.

Cladding was fashionable in properties from the middle of the last century and requires considerable and regular maintenance in the form of staining. One alternative is to replace them with a uPVC equivalent which will offer durability as well as being attractive to the eye. Cladding half of your home with horizontal cedar boards is a current fashion trend but consider whether your property would stick out like a sore thumb if your neighbours’ homes are more traditional.

Grow some plants

The modern trend for lawns to be uprooted and replaced with hard standing or ornamental stones can be sterile and unattractive. Simple borders or flowering beds can add a vital splash of colour, window boxes can add an instant homely touch and planters with leafy shrubs will help to enhance your home. Such improvements need not cost the earth but can transform a tired exterior quickly.

Clear up the clutter!

It may sound so simple that it’s almost daft but clutter around the outside of your property is unsightly. Find a new home for the bins and endless recycling boxes, put the kids’ toys and bikes in the garage and sweep the drive. It’ll make a world of difference!

Improving the exterior appearance of your home needn’t break the bank and with a little time, effort and well-planned budgeting your property can be as attractive on the outside as the rooms within.

For more inspiration visit http://www.channel4.com/4homes/build-renovate/building-renovating-advice/transform-your-homes-exterior or http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/renovatinganddiy/6254848/Kerb-appeal-10-ways-to-improve-the-appearance-of-your-property.html

Attached Images:

License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-16674940-contemporary-colonial-home.php

John is a freelance feature writer based in London, England.

Top Tips That Will Make Your Kitchen Easier To Work In

by Trish

How many times has someone said to you ‘the trick is to wash up your dishes right after you’ve eaten?’. It sounds like good advice sure, but what these smug friends don’t seem to take into account is that it’s not always quite that simple. For instance, it might be that you often watch TV while you eat and that you want to watch the rest of the program before you do the washing up. Alternatively it might be that once you’ve sat down, you suddenly feel too tired to get up and do the washing up after your long day of work and cooking.

Finally though, it might just be that you don’t enjoy washing up because your kitchen is too crowded to make it easy. If you have a small or badly designed kitchen, then what’s already a tough and unpleasant job can become unbearable. Here we will look at some of the ways you can make your kitchen more conducive to work, including washing up.

Work Zones

No matter the work you are doing in the kitchen you will find you need work zones. Work zones are areas that you can stand to work and ideally you should be able to reach more than one surface as well as some kind of appliance. In other words a good work zone might enable you to reach two or three bare surfaces and the hob. This way you can chop vegetables, stir a broth and drop things into a bowl all at once. When you first come up with your kitchen design you should try to think about where the work zones are going to be and how you can include more if possible. Using a kitchen island is one great way to add reachable surfaces at multiple points around the kitchen.

Organize Your Small Appliances

Blenders, toasty makers and coffee machines are all great things to add to your kitchen that can help you to get more from it and provide better for guests. However they also have a downside which is to clutter your surfaces and make it harder to keep things clean. Keep them organized by providing storage for them, and make sure that there aren’t too many wires draped across your surfaces.

Have a Good Draining Rack

For washing up specifically a good draining rack is important and you should make sure that this provides enough space to keep all of your items on easily without it becoming overcrowded. A bowl in your sink can also help with the washing up.

Make Everything Accessible

While you should try to keep things out of the way and off the surfaces you should also ensure that you can quickly access anything you need to from the appliances to crockery and utensils. If you have to root around for ages to find a knife or climb up onto a step ladder to get the tinned beans then you’ll find that more often than not you end up just making ready meals instead…

Attached Images:

License: Creative Commons image source
License: Creative Commons image source

Gary Mint ia an interior designer. His area of interest is the kitchen. He loves to come up with new ideas for kitchen remodelling and is a firm believer in the concept of a spacious kitchen. His other interests include cycling and swimming.

Conquering The Clutter In Kids’ Rooms

by Trish

A room that is dedicated for your kids should be the most adaptable space in the house. It should work as a playroom that can accommodate a wide variety of toys. An art studio, where the kids can let loose of their inner Picasso or Van Gogh. In the next instant, a clubhouse where your young ones can meet and interact with their friends. And, of course, a space to rest, somewhere to dress and, probably, provide a modest nook for reading and studying.

When a single room has to fulfill all the aforesaid functions, efficient storage and organization are necessary. However, keeping a kid’s room organized doesn’t necessarily mean it should appear like an adult’s room or a boring bedroom. You can make it both fun and organized by taking these tips to heart.

Consider child-friendly storage

To keep the organization inside a children’s room, the storage solutions available should meet your children’s needs and style. Hence, avoid using adult organizing systems, such as sticky dresser drawers that can be cumbersome for small hands to manage or closet hanging rods that are too high up and out of reach.

To make stuff more accessible for young children, invest in open shelves whose surfaces are easy to clean. Or, opt to remove the doors of existing closets to prevent pinching fingers. Try to lower clothing rods and use child-sized hangers to hold children’s clothing. As for the toys, corral them in floor-level open containers or bins.

Organize from down up

To complement the short stature of kids, the best way to organize the things inside their room is to start the process from the bottom and work your way to the top. That is, keep frequently used toys and belongings on the lower shelves, drawers or on the floor. Less-frequently used objects, on the other hand, should be designated to higher levels of the storage systems.

Don’t forget to add labels

To make your life easier when it’s time to clean and sort your kids’ stuff, put labels everywhere: on boxes, bookcases, shelf edges, bins and inside and outside of drawers. You can make the labels more appealing by printing out images of shirts, toys, socks, blocks, etc. These pictures will also make it easier for young kids to determine where they should put things after use. For older children, you can help enhance their reading skills by using labels with large-type words.

Establish a clean-up routine

Depending on your children’s ages, they could help you with the process of organizing and decluttering. So if you have older kids, teach them a clean-up routine that they can easily follow through. For instance, a few minutes in the morning should be spared for tending to their beds, such as straightening the comforters or returning the pillows in place. And before they dress up for bed, there should be an evening routine where they pickup their toys and place those items in their corresponding storage solutions. If you have younger children, however, you will have to clean the space yourself. So squeeze this into your schedule to avoid their stuff from accumulating.

This home organization advice was contributed by Ericka in behalf of www.heritagecleaning.co.uk. Ericka has been writing articles about a wide variety of topics for some years now. However, she is particularly interested in writing insightful posts related to home improvement and gardening.

Spring Tips For Cleaning Your Basement Like A Pro