Organizing Room-by-Room

Spring fever has arrived! Spring brings warmer weather, longer daylight hours, and a need for Spring cleaning. After being cooped up all Winter we have a desire for openness and air. One of the easiest ways to obtain this in our home is through organization.

Kitchen:

• Countertops; they should only hold things that are used on a daily basis. Create a permenant spot for everything else, including appliances.
• Personal Items; to prevent the room from becoming a dumping ground try this rule: By dinnertime, the kitchen must be clear of all personal items.

Mudroom:

• Create an Outbox; locate by the door so you can easily grab library books, DVDs, or outgoing mail on your way out.
• A Place for Everything; whether it’s a dedicated room or a stretch of wall inside the door, create a place for all the things that need to go no further into the house (i.e., coats, boots, mail, keys, etc.).

Family Room:

• Control the Extras; limit yourself to no more than two issues of a magazine and keep only movies, games, music and books that you use and that realistically fit on your shelves.

Bedroom:

• Look Below the Bed; clear plastic containers are great for seasonal clothing, linens, and shoes. Also keeping them dust free while allowing you to see what’s in them.
• Final Resting Place; dresser tops, bedside tables, and chairs can quickly become towers of stuff in need of a home. Track the things that stack up over a week and create permenant places to keep them in the room.

Bathroom:

• Let It Go; scan your linen closet and medicine cabinet at least once a month and toss expired or unused products.

Energy Efficiency

• This season offers us a great opportunity to see how and where we can make our lives a little more energy efficient. Try these tips for an energy smart season!
• Use florescent lighting; it is the most energy efficinet light source available and uses 75-80% less electricity for the same amount of light. They also last 18-20 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
• Regularly check toilets, pipes and faucets for leaks and repair them immediately. One small leak can waste thousands of liters of water per year. An undetected leak can cost as much as $1,000 per month for a faulty toilet alone.
• Clean the filter at the bottom of the dishwasher to keep it running efficiently.
• Wash the lint screen in your dryer at least once a year with a tooth brush and detergent to rid it of film left by fabric softeners and dryer sheets.
• Turn off unused electrical equipment, including your computer, monitor and printer, at the end of the day.
• Use indoor appliance timers to turn lamps on and off.
• This saves electricity while giving your home a lived-in look while you are out.
• An outside motion detector is more cost effective and energy efficient than leaving on two 75-watt incandescent floodlights for overnight security that will cost your about $2.50 a month.