Spring Cleaning Checklist
Spring is quickly approaching which means it’s almost time for spring cleaning. Whether you despise cleaning or love it, we’ve put together a checklist to ease into cleaning. Make a schedule Having a plan for when you’re tackling each room will keep you focused on the task at hand. It’s best to start in rooms that are less used so you can close the door once you’re done until you’re done with the whole house. The best place to end will be the kitchen since it’s used every single day. Check out our Instagram to check out our Spring Cleaning Checklist. Declutter Go through every inch of every room and make a keep, sell and donate pile. Put away what you’re going to keep, take pictures of what you’ll sell (Facebook Marketplace for home goods and Poshmark for clothes/shoes are two great options), and bag up what you can drop off at a donation center. Always Work from Top to Bottom When you think about how to spring clean your home, it’s important to start from the ceiling down. This will force debris downward and keep you from having to re-dust or re-clean your space. If you have a vacuum with an extension hose, use it to get cobwebs and dust from your ceilings and fans first. Then dust your furniture and other items before vacuuming all the dust and debris off your floors. It will save you time. Think Green When You Spring Clean Cleaning supplies can be chalked full of chemicals that aren’t great for us or may include ingredients someone in the household is allergic to. Fortunately, there are plenty of companies out there that make “green” products. And of course, there are also home remedies. Walls and Windows Need Love Too People almost always clean their floors, but they typically forget about walls and windows. Not all dust settles on the floor and other surfaces. Just use a damp towel to wipe down walls and blinds (starting from the top). Remove and wipe down the window screens outside. The Kitchen and Bathrooms Needs Extra Love Kitchens and bathrooms are used every single day meaning they need extra love. I’m sure we clean them regularly but remember to focus on trouble areas. Kitchen: Wipe down your cabinets.Go through your pantry and refrigerator. Wipe down the shelves, and throw away any old items.If you have stainless steel appliances, be sure to use gentle cleaners or a steam cleaner to avoid scratching or other issues. Bathrooms: Change your shower curtain.Go through your cosmetics drawer or medicine cabinet and throw away any expired items Don’t Forget About Your Air Replacing furnace and HVAC filters is one of the most important and overlooked parts of spring cleaning. In fact, replacing a standard filter with a more robust one with a high MERV rating will help keep you healthier as you enter spring. It will catch smaller, irritating particles. Air conditioner ducts build up dust during winter, and upgraded filters catch unwanted particles so they don’t enter your space. It’s an inexpensive way to make sure you’re breathing clean, healthy air.
All About Smart Home Technology
Smart home technology has been evolving over the years and now that it’s 2020 it’s even better and more affordable. You have probably considered adding some smart home technology to your house at some point whether it’s an Alexa, Ring doorbell, or full-on security system. Are you thinking of going from “home sweet home” to “home smart home”? Here’s a deeper look at some of the benefits of smart home technology. Conveniently Protect Your Home and Belongings From telling Alexa to turn on the lights to wifi equipped smoke detectors, smart homes allow consumers to quickly respond to the unexpected because of the always-on connectivity and notification systems. If you choose to get a security system for your home, you can sign up for notifications for all movement so you know what’s going on when you’re away. Keep an Eye on Your Kids, Pets, and Aging Parents Video monitoring, motion detection, and smart locks on the door can help you keep tabs on your middle-schooler when he or she is home alone. You can also check in with an older or sick loved one whom you’re caring for, or even tell your dog to get down from the couch through a device’s speaker. Trim Your Energy Bills Many of us try to live as “green” as possible. Fortunately, smart hoe technology is changing the game so you can save money and help the planet. Smart thermostats and smart lighting can help you use energy more efficiently by automatically adjusting or switching off when there is no one in that part of the home. By using less power, you’ll benefit by reducing your monthly energy costs. Answer the Door from Anywhere Smart doorbells and locks alert you on your smartphone when someone is at your door. You can even speak to visitors through the doorbell system by talking into your smartphone. So, whether you’re at work, shopping for groceries, or on vacation, you’ll have peace of mind knowing you can be “virtually” present when the doorbell rings. Smart home technology is not a bad thing to invest in. Get peace of mind knowing your house is protected while also saving money in the long run.
Reasons to Go to Open Houses Before Buying
We’ve all heard that the early bird gets the worm, and the same can be said for real estate. Touring homes for sale isn’t something to save for when you’re ready to sign an offer. The more prepared you are, the faster you’ll be able to act when the time comes. Open houses are opportunities to save time later so that you can make a bite on the house you know you want when you’re ready to buy. Discover what matters the most to you Buying a home is a big deal and most buyers start with equally big wish lists. Daydreaming about everything you can get in a property is fun, and we encourage it. Touring homes and finding our what actually needs to stay on your wish list and what needs to go is important and will help you save time down the road. Or maybe you simply need inspiration if you plan to do a renovation on the house you do buy. Think of it as speed dating, within 5 minutes you’ll know if that is the house for you or if you need to move on to the next. Find out what your budget can buy You may be going into the home buying process knowing that you want 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2,500 square feet, 2 car garage, and a bonus space. But, your budget may not be able to handle all of that depending on where you’re looking. While you may be able to find all of this in your budget, it may not be the perfect house right off the bat and will require renovations that exceed your house-buying budget. From this point you have a few decisions to make: Up your budget to get everything you want without having to do any renovationsKeep your budget, buy the house that max’s it out and hold off on any renovations until you can save up moreBuy under your budget that would need a lot of renovations However, keep in mind that the above can change based on what you offer and what is accepted. The list price and the sale price tell a story about whether the home was priced above or below its value. Get design ideas As mentioned above, looking at open houses can help give you inspriation whether you’re getting ideas for a home renovation or even for home decor purposes. Homes for sale are often staged to look great, which means you can easily find looks to borrow for your current home or the one you’ll eventually buy. Explore new neighborhoods One of the most, if not the most important factors of buying a house is the neighborhood you buy-in. Driving around your future neighborhood on different days and at different times will help you see how busy it is traffic-wise and whether people like to take strolls around the neighborhood. Another benefiting in touring neighborhoods lets you figure out where the closest grocery store is, what type of restaurants and shops are in the area, and what schools your children would attend. Surprise yourself Just like going wedding dress shopping, you go in with the type of dresses you love and want to try on. However, bridal consultants will usually throw in some other dresses in the mix that you weren’t interested in trying. A lot of the time, brides will actually love the dresses that weren’t on their list. The same goes for a house. You may love super modern looking houses or maybe colonials, but you could end up falling head over heels for a tudor-styled house. Cast a wide net when you’re touring homes to leave yourself open to surprises. Your gut may tell you that you’re a charming tudor instead of the colonial you’ve always thought you were.
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