A resource for those seeking information on organizing and transforming spaces.

Home Ideas Ben Soreff Home Ideas Ben Soreff

3 Ways to Craft a Meditation Corner You Love

So many people are meditating at home to find balance nowadays, and it’s never been more important to build a peaceful oasis in the form of some kind of meditation room.

So many people are meditating at home to find balance nowadays, and it’s never been more important to build a peaceful oasis in the form of some kind of meditation room

Thankfully, the process of crafting a space to meditate doesn’t mean breaking the bank. It’s actually not as time-consuming as you might think. Instead of remodeling an entire room, there are many options where you don’t have to uproot what you have already. 

This project doesn’t even require an entire room - a tranquil corner can work just as well. Regardless of what you choose, you will still be prioritizing your mindfulness through making a dedicated space for meditation. Below are our top 5 tips to achieve tranquility in a space.

1) Allow the Light to Shine (Or Dim)

The first step to making a meditation space is figuring out lighting. Many people think that to create a relaxing corner you need dim lighting but this is not necessarily the case. You don’t need to stick to blackout curtains and amber light bulbs. 

You might consider consulting a local electrician or handyman to get a quote for dimmable switch installation in your meditation room. Whether you decide to add a dimmer switch or a brightness-adjustable bulb, the choice is yours.

2) Select a Few Signature Scents & Sounds

Picking a soothing scent can help you gain a sense of familiarity and ritual for your daily practice. Aromatherapy fragrances like essential oils have extremely relaxing effects, especially during meditation. Essential oils like eucalyptus, peppermint, or lavender are among the most popular aromatherapy fragrances used in essential oil diffusers. Note that peppermint is more of an invigorating scent while lavender and eucalyptus have a calming nature. 

Your preference for what your meditation room should sound like may differ: do you prefer an echo chamber where you can follow sounds until they disappear? Or do you prefer complete silence when meditation? Or, would you enjoy calming music during your practice? These are all questions to consider when setting up your meditation room. If complete silence is your thing, consider soundproofing your room.

3) Embrace the Impact of Color

The color of the walls in your meditation room has a powerful subconscious influence on your emotions and probably your meditation practice. Setting a tone for the space using wallpaper or a fresh coat of paint can help you achieve your meditation goals. 

For a soothing practice, opt for muted blues, greys or any other relaxing color that comes to mind. Research the psychology of calming colors before you commit to make sure that you’re picking the right color for your meditation goals. And make sure not pick a loud, bright color that may not work for you down the road. 

To Wrap It Up...

The benefits of meditation are seemingly endless, from stress relief to anxiety reduction. This makes a zen den even more important because you want a meditation room conducive to restful and relaxing meditation practice. To create a serene space at home, you simply need a space and the motivation to transform it, with the help of someone like a HomeAdvisor sourced professional. After all, any room can beyour meditation space.

Check out our awesome visual guide below for more tips:

Meditation Room

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Home Ideas Ben Soreff Home Ideas Ben Soreff

Caring for Elderly Loved Ones in the Wake of COVID-19

It’s difficult thinking about caring for older loved ones, especially if you have watched them decline from peak vibrancy. It’s especially a challenge with the restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Long-term senior care facilities have been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus, and it’s going to require no small amount of work (and no small amount of money) to rethink how these facilities operate in the short and long term.

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It’s difficult thinking about caring for older loved ones, especially if you have watched them decline from peak vibrancy. It’s especially a challenge with the restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Long-term senior care facilities have been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus, and it’s going to require no small amount of work (and no small amount of money) to rethink how these facilities operate in the short and long term.

But where does that leave you? What are your options for taking care of your senior loved ones? As the pandemic continues, you will need to take even more care to make decisions that impact their health and happiness — and it’s not going to be easy.

House to Home Organizing presents a look at only some of the things you’ll need to think about when taking care of your elderly loved ones in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Types of long-term care

Before you make any decisions, you need to know what your options are. There are two basic umbrellas for care: personal and skilled. Personal care would apply to loved ones who don’t need medical assistance — they just need help doing things such as housekeeping and need companionship. If you are considering moving your senior loved one into your home, that would fall under the “personal” category. Skilled care refers more to those who need assistance with medicines, wound care, or mobility assistance. Under this category, your loved ones would probably be moving into long-term care facilities.

Have the appropriate forms

When moving your loved one into a long-term care facility or even just when making financial decisions on their behalf, you will need to have the proper documents on file. These files include (but aren’t limited to) a power of attorney and living will. These are important documents, and can provide the legal ability for you to make decisions for your loved ones should they become unable. What’s more, if you get these documents now, before you need to use them, your loved ones will be able to decide of their own volition to give you that power.

Moving into a new space

When you’re moving your senior loved ones — whether it’s into your home or into a smaller space for them — it can be a daunting task to sift through all their belongings and organize them into “keep,” “donate,” and “garbage” piles. Hiring a professional organizer like House to Home Organizing can help decrease that stress and bring an objective eye to the selection process. Making sure these professionals have effective COVID-19 prevention measures in place is critical for you and your loved ones at this time.

It’s critical to stay organized and clean — it helps keep the stress levels down, especially in these challenging times. Keeping the bathroom spotless can help alleviate some of the stress when it comes time to sell your loved one’s house, for instance.

Partner with people who care

In addition to keeping the home clean and making sure you’re decluttering the space properly, you should also consider partnering with a real estate agent when selling your loved one’s home. Working with a realtor can take a lot of the stress out of the selling process; having an expert to consult can alleviate confusion and forget about stressing over paperwork because they can walk you through the process.

Experts are great things to have at hand. Are you getting ready to move your loved ones into a smaller space? Whether you’re looking at a long-term care facility or your own home for your loved ones, hiring a professional can help keep the process smooth. The experts at House to Home Organizing can help you keep track of things while you do the hard parts — and yes, we offer virtual services as well! Contact us today by calling 203-571-9412.

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Home Ideas Ben Soreff Home Ideas Ben Soreff

Selling Your House: How to Catch a Homebuyer’s Eye

When planning to sell your home, you want to get the best bidder within the shortest time possible. However, you may not be able to achieve your desired results if your home doesn't look appealing to the buyer. Below are tips to help you attract the buyer's attention quickly.

We partnered with a real estate company for this post. The opinions in the post are honest. All reviews and opinions expressed in this post are based on our personal views. We are excited because we know you will love it.

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When planning to sell your home, you want to get the best bidder within the shortest time possible. However, you may not be able to achieve your desired results if your home doesn't look appealing to the buyer. Below are tips to help you attract the buyer's attention quickly. 

List Your Home Using Quality Photos

Today, most buyers check for potential homes on the internet before deciding to inspect the house physically. When listing your home, make sure to use high-quality photos to give the potential buyer a visual impression of your property. You can hire a professional photographer to help you take quality photos to showcase your house to attract the attention of potential buyers quickly. 

Market Your Home 

Marketing your home can help you get the best bidders. It enables you to showcase your home to potential buyers. You can make use of various platforms that are available online. However, if you do not have enough time, you can involve a real estate agent to help you market your home effectively. An agent will be able to utilize their knowledge of the ever-changing real estate market in order to sell your house more efficiently. Relying on someone with plenty of experience can help you determine what your home needs in order to attract more buyers.

Even if there are more houses on sale within the area, your property has a high chance of standing out from the crowd when your real estate agent assists you in marketing your home. 

Extensive Network

There is no good realtor worth their salt that works in a bubble; instead, they focus on making professional relationships that will help them sell houses fast. Good realtors know other realtors who may have clients seeking a property like yours – but obtaining access to those individuals is something you wouldn't be able to achieve on your own. By partnering with a realtor and leveraging their connections, you can tap into a wider network, including a comparison of house buyers who may be interested in your property. This helps you to identify more possible buyers for your house.

Set a Reasonable Price

While you may want to sell your home at a high price, it may not be possible, especially when there are other sellers within your locality. No buyer wants to spend more money when there are lower-priced homes within the same location. So, consider lowering your price to attract the attention of buyers quickly. 

Create a Curb Appeal 

When buyers come to your home, the first thing to look at is the home exterior. Make your home exterior appealing by trimming trees, laying fresh mulch, and watering flowerbeds as you rinse off your walkaways and exterior walls. Such improvements may appear minor, but they add so much value to your home. 

De-Clutter your House 

No one wants to invest in a home that looks out of order. De-cluttering your house can quickly draw the attention of your buyers and also make your property appear valuable. Organize your home by placing every item in the right place. 

If you have an excessive amount of furniture, remove older pieces to create more space so that your rooms appear larger. If you have enough cabinets, store some of your stuff in there to make the area appear more aesthetically pleasing.

Selling your home can be a complicated process, especially when you do not have prior experience. You may want to work with a real estate agent who understands the industry's nitty-gritty to help you sell your home faster and at the best possible price. Keeping these tips in mind will help you sell your house quickly and efficiently.

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Air purifiers: What you should know about them despite the lack of scientific evidence for their health benefits

If you've successfully sealed your home for energy savings, give yourself a pat on the back. It's a good idea to keep drafts out of the house to save money. What's the snag? Pet dander, smoke, dust mites, mold, and other irritants can be trapped in a tightly sealed home, causing respiratory problems.

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If you've successfully sealed your home for energy savings, give yourself a pat on the back. It's a good idea to keep drafts out of the house to save money. What's the snag? Pet dander, smoke, dust mites, mold, and other irritants can be trapped in a tightly sealed home, causing respiratory problems.

An air purifier is one potential solution. According to manufacturer figures, about one in every four U.S. households owns a portable indoor air purifier, which includes those that come packaged with a fan, says Perry Santanachote, home editor at Consumer Reports. This is unsurprising. Manufacturers make "remedies" for us to purchase or, at the very least, buy into as indoor air quality becomes a problem for consumers. Is it, however, worthwhile to invest in an air purifier?

“Air purifiers can be helpful in avoiding allergens, but they aren't a panacea,” says Manav Singla, an allergist, an immunologist with MedStar Health locations in Maryland. “I don't tell any of my allergy sufferers to get an air purifier, just as I don't tell them to put hardwood floors in their homes.” 

Air purifiers can work best for people with animal allergies who own a dog or cat or who leave doors and windows open because they remove airborne particles like dander and pollen. Since dust mites live in carpet and bedding, they are ineffective for those who are allergic to them.

The evidence for the effectiveness of air purifiers is mixed. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology conducted a review of research on eight asthma interventions, including air purifiers, in 2018. “Despite a large evidence base spanning decades, the evidence base as a whole is inadequate to support concrete conclusions about the efficacy of many commonly used products and strategies for enhancing patient outcomes by reducing environmental allergen exposure,” it concluded. It also advocated for further testing.

According to a 2010 study by the academy, “the primary function of air cleaning and filtration in the living environment for those with allergic respiratory diseases can contribute more toward disease prevention than treatment.” Although portable room air cleaners with high-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, filters tend to be advantageous in households with forced-air HVAC systems, “regular maintenance schedules and the use of high-efficiency disposable filters appear to be the best choices,” according to the study.

Remember that your furnace and/or air conditioner are basically whole-house filtration systems, so an air purifier might not be necessary. The issue is that many homeowners use inexpensive, thin air filters that do nothing to actually clean the air. Furthermore, most of us fail to adjust the filter as much as we can. The installation of a media cabinet, which can accommodate a deeper (up to five inches) disposable filter, can significantly improve filtration capabilities. These filters usually last eight weeks to six months and cost less than $35 each.

If you do decide to buy an air purifier, the first decision you'll have to make is whether you want a portable or whole-house model. A whole-house system will work if you have ductwork and a forced-air system. Portable stand-alone models would be needed in homes with radiant heat but no air conditioning.

If your home has forced ventilation, Travis Jackson, a home heating, cooling, and air purification specialist in Warrenton, Va., recommends hiring a qualified professional to examine your entire system, including equipment and ductwork. “An inspection looks for underlying problems like unsealed ducts, moldy stagnant water, soil, or vapor-emitting glue-filled seams. It's possible that what the machine needs is a good cleaning,” he says. This form of inspection can be free or cost up to $100, depending on your place and provider.

You don't need an indoor air quality evaluation unless you have reason to believe the air in your home is making you sick, Jackson says. They're time-consuming, costly ($800 to $1,200), and usually unnecessary.

You must measure the square footage of the space you're attempting to treat, whether it's a single room or your whole house, with any form of purifier. The size and efficiency of any unit determine its price. Here's what else you should be aware of.

Air purifiers that can be carried around
There are many styles to choose from. To extract particles, basic mechanical models use a fan to push air through a filter. Higher-grade HEPA filters are qualified to absorb even the tiniest particles, such as dust, smoke, pollen, and pet dander.

Electronic air purifiers work by creating an electric charge that attracts particles to metal plates in the machine, which you then wipe clean. Other models have a UV light and claim to destroy mold and bacteria, but Santanachote says Consumer Reports hasn't checked them and there's currently no proof that they do what they claim.

An activated carbon filter is used in certain purifiers to absorb odors and/or eliminate gases. Carbon filters that are thicker and heavier are more powerful, but they are more expensive. Santanachote believes that thin mesh ones are a waste of resources.

A portable device will set you back at least $200. Models that purify vast spaces and are highly rated will cost up to $700. Furthermore, replacement filters range in price from $20 to $200 (some models have washable filters), and you'll need to account for power because experts recommend running purifiers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Don't be fooled by slick looks or mistakenly believe that higher prices equal better results. Look for AHAM (Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers) accredited versions (AHAM). Then look at the machine's Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR), which explains how well it eliminates cigarette smoke, pollen, and dust. It's easier if the number is higher. According to Santanachote, a score of less than 60 is bad, and a score of more than 240 is excellent.

If a floor model is available, look inside for a thick filter that covers a large area. Better still, request that it be plugged in. By its very nature, an air purifier — which is essentially a fan and a filter — is noisy, especially at higher speeds. You'll want to hear it for yourself if that's a problem. One solution is to buy a larger-capacity purifier and operate it at a slower, quieter pace.

Air purifiers for the whole house
A whole-house air cleaner is an easy, quiet, no-fuss solution if your home has ducts. There are units with several filters to collect airborne particles as well as an activated carbon filter to eliminate odors if you want to go all out. These range in price from $2,500 to $5,000, plus installation. Models with germicidal UV lamp technology to irradiate bacteria and mold spores in the air stream or on the filter cost even more, but research showing their effectiveness is lacking once again.

A UV light system can also be added to your HVAC system, but they aren't inexpensive. There are two types of air purification systems: object cleaners and in-duct air purification systems.

An object cleaner placed next to your air conditioner's coil — a dark, damp breeding ground for mold and bacteria — floods the area with UV light, killing organisms before they can reach your ventilation system. These range in price from $350 to $800. Replacement bulbs range in price from $100 to $300 for a one- to two-year lifespan.

A UV in-duct air purification system is your second, more expensive choice. Consider UV light to be the sun's rays. “By inserting the ‘sun' into your ductwork, the UV light bulb releases vaporized hydrogen, which attacks germs, bacteria, mold spores, fungi, and odors as the air circulates into your home,” Jackson explains. As the treated air is pushed out of vents in your home, some models claim to clean countertops and other surfaces.

An in-duct UV system can cost anywhere from $800 to $1,500, depending on the size of your home and the size of your HVAC system. Bulbs will last up to three years and range in price from $300 to $400. The majority of units can be assembled in under two hours, and you'll usually be paying a flat rate that covers all parts and labor.

While some users swear by UV air scrubbers, Singla points out that since allergens are not living tissue like mold, UV filtration is of limited use for the average customer with allergies. Bottom line: Whether you or a family member suffers from extreme allergies or is susceptible to respiratory infections, you may want to focus on keeping your living space clean and your HVAC device in good working order before investing in an air purification system.

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