Guest Post - Learn to Be Organized: 5 Tips for Creating an Effective Home Maintenance Plan

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It’s no secret that owning a home brings on a lot more responsibility than renting: if something breaks down, no landlord will come to fix the problem – you’re on your own. This includes keeping the home clean and well-maintained all year round. By now, your mortgage lender, realtor, and your mother have told you how important it is to have a well-kept home, and the Internet’s told you a million ways to do it. Let’s sum it up into an effective yearly plan.

Set up a home maintenance fund

Your home is nothing short of an investment, and once you’ve bought it, you should expect to continue investing in its maintenance, so that when the time comes, you can get a good return. A rule of a thumb is to allocate about 1-3% of your home’s initial purchase price for upkeep and repairs. The U.S. Census has come to a figure of $3,000 a year, which is the amount an average home requires for proper maintenance. Paying for repairs and maintenance will become much easier once you accept that setting an upkeep budget aside isn’t an option, but a necessity.

Take care of hardwood floors

Old or new, hardwood floors in your house are here to stay, but their upkeep can be challenging. Apart from dust that the occupants bring in from the basement and the outdoors, it seems that footprints and spills never end. Many homeowners are happily recommending a cordless and rechargeable Swivel Sweeper with interchangeable brushes, which can be found on Amazon. Another great tool is the Hardwood Floor Spray Mop with refillable cartridges. Both cleaners have a lean swiveling design which allows them to get to hard-to-reach areas. Hardwood floor maintenance should be done weekly.

Prevent sewage backup

Unpleasant odors from the bathroom and kitchen drain and slow draining are the first signs of a clogged system that leads to the communal water sewage grid. Unless tackled, the problem can grow to disastrous proportions, with liquid waste returning up through your drains, especially if your house has multiple toilets and floor drains. However, the culprit is more likely in your front yard than in the house. Always reaching out for moisture, tree roots in your garden may have wrapped around the pipes, dislodging junctions or causing cracks, or in the case of clay pipes used in many older homes, completely breaking through.

Luckily for us, there are companies today that offer trenchless pipe relining, a process in which a textile liner-sleeve is soaked in environmentally-friendly resin and then inserted into an existing pipe using compressed air. This way there are no excavations, so your landscaping remains intact. If you’ve purchased an older home, consider preventive pipe relining, if nothing else, to buy yourself a peace of mind.

Check for leaks

A small leak can easily grow into a big problem. Aside from elemental damage to your floors, walls, appliances and insulation, unless discovered on time, a leak can instigate mold growth, which comes with its own set of problems. It pays to check for water leakage or dripping under the fridge and dishwasher. You can do it by laying a few paper towels under the appliances and using them to check for moisture. Leaks can cause internal corrosion and mechanism damage even when it comes to your washing machine. Checking for leaks should be your weekly or bi-weekly routine.

Check caulking for damage

Wet areas such as kitchens and bathrooms are the most susceptible to this kind of damage, so you should check them every three to four months. You might have applied new caulking around the countertop, only to see it peeling away after a short while. The same accounts for caulking around bathtubs and showers, where damaged sealing can allow moisture to seep into the downstairs ceiling or give way to mold infestation. Always try to use 100% latex or silicone caulk instead of acrylic, so it wouldn’t shrink and crack over time. It comes in squeeze tubes which are easy to apply and control for small jobs like these.

Have a special notebook or a binder where you’ll keep receipts and records of all the maintenance and repairs you’ve completed while you owned the home. This will not only help you remember the dates and tasks you’ve done, but also how much you invested in your house over time.

About the author: Mike Johnston is a home improvement blogger, DIY enthusiast and sustainability buff from Sydney. He is a regular writer at Smooth Decorator and contributor on several interior design, real estate and eco blogs, always on the lookout for new ideas and the latest trends in these fields.

Organizing Does Not Have To Be Expensive

So you want to organize your life. You see all the beautiful Instagram posts and magazine layouts of perfectly organized homes. Beautiful built-ins where kids backpacks are hung, baskets for mittens and shelves for shoes. You think to yourself how wonderful it would be to have such organization, if only you could afford to have someone come build a mudroom with cubbies and shelving. What to do? Not everyone can afford to live like the photos in House Beautiful, and sometimes the pictures are unrealistic to maintain. There are simple inexpensive tips that you can put to practice in your own home which can help with various “dumping areas.” These areas are usually the places strewn with clutter. For example, backpacks dumped by the garage or front door, mail in a large pile in the kitchen, and laundry areas filled with clutter.

Home from School

For backpacks, try hanging hooks by the area where your children come into the house. Remember to use heavy duty hooks so that as they get older and the backpacks get heavier, they won’t fall off the wall. Baskets are inexpensive and can be bought in most stores. These inexpensive plastic wicker looking baskets can be found at Bed Bath and Beyond. These baskets come in three sizes. Maybe have one basket per child for them to put their hats, mittens and scarves. You may want to purchase different colors and assign each child to a color. Milk crates can be another inexpensive option for kids shoes.

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Children bring home a large amount of paper. If you don’t have lots of shelf space, you can find inexpensive rolling carts with tiers so you can have a tier per child to hold their papers. Here is an example:

Forever Stamps

Mail can pile up if not dealt with immediately. Try getting in the habit of recycling your junk mail daily. Assign an area of your kitchen, office or foyer where you would like mail to live. Purchase a small desktop mail holder to keep mail from laying in piles on your counter. If you get magazines or store catalogues, try to read them promptly and then recycle. We all fall into the trap of putting mail aside and saying to ourselves we will get to it later. Before you know it you have a pile of magazines which builds and builds and never is read.

Wash & Fold

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The laundry room ends up being a catchall for many things. Pet supplies, cleaning products, dirty laundry- you name it. Try putting your cleaning supplies in a container. Perhaps an inexpensive carry-all caddy or an open-top container. The carry-all is convenient as you can just grab it in one hand and rags in another. All of your supplies are at your finger-tips. For pet supplies, create a small pet zone. Food dishes, beds/crates, pegs to hang leashes/collars, and a shelf to put food. Be sure everything is not in the flow of traffic so people do not trip. By creating a pet area, you can see how much pet supplies you have and it will help you from over purchasing pet supplies at the store. Laundry can be a hassle. Everyone in the house is dumping their dirty laundry all over. If space allows, having 3 hampers makes sense. A dark color for darks, white for whites and a lighter color such as light grey for light clothing. As your children get older teach them to bring their dirty clothes to the laundry room and put in the correct hamper. This is a win-win for everyone. Your kids will not have dirty clothes strewn all over their rooms, it teaches them responsibility, and it will make your life easier when doing the wash.

Basic, Casual or Formal

One final note, kitchen tables and dining rooms tend to be dumping areas for everyone on the family. One way to avoid that, is to have it set with placemats, and a center piece such as candles all the time. Most people will not dump their stuff on a set table. Remember, organizing does not have to break the bank. As you can see there are inexpensive ways to organize to bring calm and less chaos into your family’s life. Have another inexpensive idea to help organize your house? Post on our Facebook page and let us know!

Guest Post - 5 Ways to Increase the Comfort of Your Home

When you think about home, probably the first thing that comes to your mind is comfort. The more comfortable your home is, the more relaxed you are, both mentally and physically. That being said, aiming at making your home as comfy as possible makes a lot of sense. And if you don’t know where to start, here are five great ways for increasing the comfort of your home.

Bring the nature in

Filling your home with plants really is a good idea. Not only that potted plants can cheer up your place but they can also help you improve the air quality inside of it. For example, aloe plant is considered to be one of the best natural air purifiers out there. Of course, there are other plants you can go for such as spider plant, dracaena and peace lily. No matter which of these you decide to go for, there’s no doubt you’ll be making your home more comfortable. Introducing plants into your home is possible even if you spend a lot of time at work, since there are so many low-maintenance houseplants you can opt for.

Go for comfortable and warm floors

Another thing that can make your home more comfortable is your floor. If you pick the right type of floor, you can ensure your home is as cozy as possible. For instance, carpet flooring is an extremely popular option right now as it can provide you with all the coziness you need. In case you want to go for something more lasting, hardwood flooring is also an interesting option. However, it doesn’t offer as much comfort as carpet flooring and you’ll have to throw in a couple of cozy rugs to get that barefoot soothing feel. For ultimate coziness, you can consider the idea of installing floor heating.

Invest in air quality

We already talked about how plants can help you increase air quality inside of your home. Even if you do get potted plants for your home, it’s still a good idea to spend some money in order to make sure the air inside of your home is both clean and fresh. The best way to do this is to get a ducted air conditioner for you and your family. Many new air conditioners have been designed specifically to help you reduce your energy consumption which is an important thing to have in mind if you want to go green. Of course, getting a brand new air conditioner is recommended, simply to avoid dealing with repair issues.

Think about the lighting

You won’t be able to fully relax in your home until you get the lighting right. Of course, you need lighting in order to be able to perform your everyday tasks but too much lighting can sometimes cause stress. Therefore, what you might want to think about is installing dim lights in your home. That way, you’ll have separate lighting for when you want to just sit down and relax. Switching from standard incandescent bulbs to LED bulbs is also a smart move. Not only that these little things consume less energy but they also create less heat, which should help you achieve that cozy environment you’re aiming for.

Get rid of the clutter

No one is able to fully relax in a messy house. So, if you have a lot of clutter just lying around, it might be the right time to get rid of it. In case you’re not sure how to do it, there are certain strategies you can use. For instance, you can take three different boxes, labeled keep, sell and donate, and use them to separate your clutter. That way, figuring out what you really need will be made easier and you’ll manage to help someone along the way. When it comes to selling the clutter you have in your home, you can always have a garage sale or sell your things on eBay or Craigslist.

If you want to turn your place into a real sanctuary, following these five ways should help you get the job done. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should ever stop looking for new ways to add comfort to your home.

Lana Hawkins is a young architect and a home décor blogger on Smooth Decorator. She enjoys writing about interior decoration and landscaping. Lana is interested in sustainability and green building, and that's where she gets most of her inspiration from.

Guest Post - 7 Ways for Filling your Home with Positive Energy

Did you know that your home can have a big effect on your mood? Being in a place full of positive vibes and energy can benefit both your body and mind. When we and our children are surrounded by things that we find comforting and pleasing, we tend to feel happy about life. On the other hand, being in a home filled with negative vibes can trigger bad memories and easily bring you down. Instead of letting your home become a negative place, let’s take a look at 7 ways for filling your home with positive vibes.

De-Clutter

De-clutter your house today and get rid of various items that no longer have much use in your home. By doing this, you and your kids will feel much more comfortable and happier. The truth is that cluttered spaces create stress and nothing helps more to bring positive vibes in your home than reducing waste and clutter. There are many effective ways to de-clutter your home. For example, it is recommended to use multi-purpose products and always choose quality over quantity.

In those rare cases when you are just too busy to de-clutter your home yourself, you can always hire some help. If you have time, involve your family! Decluttering a house together might be a great bonding experience, bringing you all together and instilling a sense of duty in your children.

Create Happy Memories at Your Home

Creating happy memories at your house is one of the best strategies to fill your home with positive energy. If you and your family travel a lot, print out pictures from these vacations and hang them on your shelf or your wall. By doing this, you’ll remind yourself of all those happy times. Think of other items that bring back cheerful experiences and put them in your home.

Introduce More Plants

Introducing plants is one of the best ways to increase the oxygen levels in your home. Fill your living room with fresh flowers and potted plants to create more positive energy. Plants like jasmine, cactus, rosemary, orchids, and lavender in your home can help you experience nature indoors. Keep in mind that some plants require more attention than others. Therefore, it is important to choose something that you can look after on a regular basis.

Maintain an Organized Home

Maintaining an organized home is an important step in creating a positive atmosphere. Scrub off the greasy kitchen counters and dusty coffee tables. Get your kids to help by organizing books and accessories in a proper order. Repeating these actions at least once every two weeks will help preserve a positive interior atmosphere inside of your home.

Create a Space for Relaxation

Besides making your entire home an enjoyable place to live in, you and your family should also create a special space, room, or a corner just for relaxation. You can use this space for a variety of activities like practicing yoga, reading, meditation, or for anything else that can lift your spirits up and raise positive vibrations.

Let Fresh Air Flow in

Oxygen-deprived places can be really unpleasant and bring out all those negative vibes that you wish to avoid. The easiest way to increase the oxygen levels in your house is just to open your windows and let the fresh air flow in. Fresh air boosts energy levels, improves overall health and helps you sleep better.

Let There Be Light in Your Home

Artificial lighting is not that good for your home. It can cause insomnia, stress, and headaches. This is why it is important to open the curtains during the day and let in plenty of natural light. A home that is exposed to plenty of sunlight is a place you definitely want to live in.

The truth is that it’s really not that difficult to bring in positivity in your home and get rid of all the bad vibes. By following these simple steps, you and your kids will create a home packed with positive energy and awesome vibes.

Melanie Saunders is a blogger and content manager at 1300 Rubbish – experts in the field of rubbish and junk removal. Personally, a huge fan of sustainability and green living.