How to Organize a Kid's Play Area for Small Houses

When you have toddlers, it seems pointless to organize your kid's playroom. They are going to mess it up anyway.

However, organizing your kid's play area can help you streamline your entire cleaning process. That's because it reduces the amount of clutter that you need to clean.

Luckily, the key to having an organized playroom does not have to be grand. Instead, you should give them an accessible and fun organizing system. It can also help if you make clean-up fun for your kids.

To help you achieve a clean and organized playroom for your children, here are tips that you can follow:

Get Rid of Old Broken Toys

The first step to having the perfect playroom for your kids is to get rid of old and broken toys.

Scour through your children's toys and which of them are broken or have missing pieces. Next is to ask your kids which of the remaining toys they have outgrown.

The rationale here is that you should thin out the inventory first. That way, you have fewer items to organize.

On the other hand, you can send broken toys to a recycling center and donate the old ones. This is an excellent way of extending the life of your kid's old and broken toys.

Install Playroom Mats

Rubber mats can ensure that your kids have a safe place where they play.

They are as cushy as a carpet. Hence, they lessen the impact whenever your kid tumbles. Another reason is that it prevents your kids' toys from scraping the floor.

In addition, you can install rubber mats in different colors with alphabets. That's because you can use them to teach kids about letters and colors.

The best part is that they are easy to clean. All you need is a clean piece of cloth to wipe the mats, and you are all set.

Give Their Favorite Toys a Home

It is common for kids to have a favorite toy. As such, it would be best to store them differently.

For instance, you can build a garage for your son's favorite toy car. Another is to make a bed for your daughter's favorite stuffed toy. You can also opt to create a small house where your children's favorite dolls or action figures can stay.

Doing so is another way to make cleaning and organization fun for your kids, as well.

Use Clear Open Bins to Organize the Rest

An excellent way to organize your kid's toys is to use clear bins. That way, it will be easy for you and your child to find a specific toy. It also allows the kids to know where to bring them back once they are done playing.

Meanwhile, having an open bin makes it easy for children to access and return their toys. Add to that the fact that little hands struggle with opening the lids. So, you might as well ditch them.

Label Your Bins

Another way to make it easy for you to organize your children's playroom is to label your bins. That's because it removes the need to figure out where you should place the items.

Moreover, you take advantage of this feature to teach your kids how to read. If you have the time to get creative, we suggest attaching images on the label.

However, kids' choice of toys changes as they grow older. Hence, it would be best to use removable labels. That way, you can replace them as needed.

Use Kid-friendly Storage Solution

While using clear and open bins with removable labels can help, it is just scratching the surface.

Keep in mind that you are organizing a play area for your kids. Hence, you must make everything baby safe.

First, do not use high shelves or tall storage. That's because it poses the risk of falling objects. It also prevents your kids from helping you clean up their playroom.

That said, it would be best to use low shelves that you can install vertically or horizontally. They are low enough that your kids can easily reach them and reduce the risk of falling objects.

Lastly, you should anchor your shelves on the wall. This is to prevent the furniture from toppling down.

Make Cleaning Fun

Here's the thing: Organizing your kid's play area is something that you do not have to do alone. Instead, you can encourage them to clean with you.

However, it would help if you make it fun for your child. And what better way to do that than to turn cleaning into a game?

When you already established your storage solution, you can do the following:

• Pick up by color. This is ideal if you organize toys by color. Ask your kids to pick toys of specific colors and put them in the right bin.

• Scavenger Hunt. Tell your kids to find a toy and then put it in a specific container. Better yet, attach a number to it (e.g., "Find me two train tracks."

• Tidying speed game. If you have grade-schoolers, this can work for them. Set up the timer and check how fast your kids can clean their room. Reward them if they can break their record.

Conclusion

The key to having an organized playroom for your children is to give your kids space to play and clean independently.

It would also help if keep these three principles in mind:

1. Teachable. Your organization system is something that you can easily teach your kids.

2. Reachable. Your storage solutions should be accessible for your kids.

3. Repeatable. Your cleaning process should be something that your kids can eventually do on their own.

Doing so can make it easy for you to instill discipline and cleaning habits in your kids.

Guest Post - 6 Inexpensive Ways to Secure Your Home from Termites

‘The invisible enemy’ is quite the appropriate nickname for a pest which, often easily left unnoticed, can completely devour your home and leave a huge gap in your wallet while chasing them away – termites. Termite infestation is a pest infestation where the white ant, or more commonly known termite colony makes a home out of the wood in your home. Although once infested, the professional’s intervention is the best solution, there are a few things you could do to not be ‘attractive’ to these insects.

1: Check your home frequently 

The first sign of termites is the mud tubes formed on the walls close to the house foundation. This is unless you’ve had pest control recently, a clear sign that you should check further. Soft to the touch and crumbly, that wooden piece is a perfect candidate for infestation. Any type of prevention cannot replace control, since a vintage armchair you’ve bought on the garage sale could be a source of infestation. Additionally, if your neighboring houses are near your walls, that is a reason more to check yourself. 

2: Declutter is a must

Termites are attracted to cellulose and therefore everything containing it has to be used and therefore frequently controlled. The objects prone to termite infestation would be made of or containing – paper, cardboard, and wood. That does not mean you should throw out everything made of these materials, but instead take good care of anything containing termite food. Once the infested pile of old magazines or Amazon boxes that were never disposed of will be a ‘death sentence’ for all furniture in that room since you will not be sure for some time whether it has been infested. 

3: Get rid of the moisture

When checking your house, pay attention to possible humid areas in your basement or attic. When inspecting this issue, checking for possible leakage in plumbing pipes, faulty gutters or condensation lines from air conditioning and lengthy baths is a must. Addressing any problem which may be found is a great way of preserving your home from many living creatures, all of which depend on water for survival. Damp areas are a big sign you should further inspect and be sure to fix since termites won’t be the only nightmare you could live.

4: Keep your back yard neat, clean and spacious 

To further prevent infestation and ease the inspection keep distance between the wood and the soil. Cement or stones are a great decoration that termites will not be crossing to get to your home. Additionally, sun exposure will raise the temperature of these materials further preventing infestation, but even more, the heat from the sun will kill the existing termites, if you happen to doubt an old sofa or a book table. Keep the wood piles, the trees, and the wooden materials away from the house and try to treat them to repel insects.

5: DIY solutions for prevention

Mentioning heat from the sun, it is not bad to consider other prevention methods that you can do on your own. Vinegar wash or borate spray could help as a disinfectant before priming and colouring wooden surfaces, while termite swarms can be easily removed with a vacuum cleaner or an organic natural pesticide in the form of essential oil of a choice: cinnamon, neem, clove, orange, etc.

6: Seek a professional’s advice

If everything still seems too uncertain and you want the guaranteed protection, the best option is to consult pest control. There are different pest treatments available and each offers a longer period of prolonged protection. Treatments for termites are called termite barriers, and they differ from every DIY with scientifically proven efficiency and professional expertise. Timber inspection done by a professional is more than a sufficient method for house and on-site inspection. Not just for the possible discovery of infestation, but additionally it is a great time and place to ask questions and get a piece of advice for safety measures and possible future critical spots for your specific home environment. 

The termite problem is so big in Australia that there is a building regulation for it in Victoria. It is important to take into account that every house is a special case. The possibility of infestation differs in accordance to the surrounding living area and even your specific neighbourhood, but even more from the species of wood, type of build, windows, furniture, and the mentioned exterior design of the house itself and the yard surrounding it. Taking all of the mentioned pieces of advice into account, maybe the best solution remains the professional one, with the help of the owner’s inspections and decluttered interior design. 

Author Bio

Maggie Holmes is a passionate blog writer who is extremely keen on writing about fashion, lifestyle, home improvement and technology. Her exclusive hobby is to surf the net to find amazing articles that can inspire her with some fresh ideas for article writing. She loathes being a common person who wastes her time. Follow her on Twitter.

What is a construction lawyer and how does it help us

When we’re building anything, we are going to need the help of a construction lawyer if we wish for everything to go as legally as possible. Construction lawyers are very important, and you are going to find it difficult to build something without them. We are here to tell you what do construction lawyers do, why do we need them and how do they help us? You are going to feel a little bit more appreciation for them after you read this. Here are the biggest benefits of having this type of lawyer.

Drafting Contracts

The most important thing a construction lawyer can do is draft contracts. This is something heavily important and we can’t build anything without it. Without a contract, everyone is going to be able to do whatever they want. You wouldn’t have to pay for your workers if you don’t want to, and they wouldn’t need to come to work if they didn’t want to. Contracts are the legal agreements between the person who is paying for builders and the construction company. Our world wouldn’t function as it does today if it wasn’t for these contracts. That’s why it’s heavily important that we have a construction lawyer when we’re trying to build a house for example. You will want to have a building contract where everything is thoroughly specified from start to finish. Everyone is going to be secure if something like this is written up, and that’s the whole point of having a contract. This type of thing would be possible without the help of a construction lawyer.

Payments are protected and controlled

Another great thing that a construction lawyer does is the fact that he protects and controls payments. Now, you are probably wondering what this means. Well, we will explain it to you. This means that the construction lawyer is going to make sure that all of the workers and contractors are going to get paid for their work. This also means that the person paying for the building isn’t going to pay for anything more than it is specified in the contract. This basically means that the construction lawyer is a mediator when it comes to payments, and someone like that is absolutely needed when we’re talking about construction. Everyone should be able to get paid what they deserve, and nobody should be paying for more than they have signed for. This is a really huge role that a construction lawyer plays, and we are going to respect it. You will most definitely want to have a lawyer like this when you’re trying to build something, so you can avoid paying for unnecessary things. 

Submitting Claims

This is another thing that good construction lawyers can assist you with. He will be able to accept all additional claims and they are going to be discussed with every member of the contract. Submitting additional claims can mean a lot of things. Whether we are going to be adding more time to the contract or if we’re going to increase the payment due to various reasons is something you can do only through additional claims. Your construction lawyer is going to make this claim and talk about them with other members of the contract. Based on everyone’s opinion, he is going to be able to present you with the chance to change the contract, if that’s something that you wish. This is very important, as a lot can happen during the building process. There might be a lot of delays because of the bad weather conditions or an injury. Many things can happen, and being able to switch things in your contract potentially is a very good thing which you should value.

Contract interpretations

This might sound simple, but you wouldn’t believe how contract interpretations can be needed from time to time. People who have never practiced law or if they are simply inexperienced in this area are going to need to help of a construction lawyer. He is going to be able to tell them everything that they need to know regarding their contract, which is really important. He will be able to explain everything to you. If you have a problem understanding some parts of your contract, you are going to be able to ask your construction lawyer to explain it to you. He will do it with ease and you are going to be aware of everything that resides in your contract.

In conclusion, having these types of lawyers present is mandatory and very important. The world would be a wild west if we didn’t have them. They are a great mediator, as we’ve already mentioned, and we need them so everyone ends up satisfied with their part of the work and payment. Construction lawyers have been around for many years now, and they won’t go anywhere. They are useful, helpful, and of great assistance. Remember that if you have any questions regarding your building contract, you are going to be able to ask your construction lawyer about it. He will explain everything that you need to know.

4 Home Hazards You Can Prevent With Preparation

In any home, there's always a risk of damage or accidents. The chances of these crises occurring, however, can be reduced with planning and preparation. Here are four home hazards you can prevent with a bit of preparation and some forward-thinking.

Roof Leaks

A leaky roof practically guarantees that you'll have water damage to deal with. To prevent this problem, it's a good idea to engage in some basic roof maintenance. Have your roof inspected regularly, and repair any weather-related damage as soon as it comes up. You should also trim back any tree limbs close to your roof so that they won't blow up against it in a storm and loosen the shingles.

Electrical Accidents

Older homes often have wiring that isn't compatible with modern appliances. This can result in short circuits, electrical damage, or even electrical fires. To prevent this, have a qualified electrician come in and inspect your home's wiring. Update or replace the parts that aren't up to par, and you'll have less to worry about as your home ages.

Fires

The biggest fear for any homeowner is a fire. Whether started by wiring, a gas leak, or a lightning strike, fires can instantly destroy your home, belonging, and financial stability. While fires will always do some damage, you can mitigate the effects by having your home coated with flame-resistant sprays or installing non-flammable insulation. Materials from companies like Sun Fire Defense can help your home suffer less damage in the event of a fire, making the recovery process faster and simpler.

Basement Flooding

During large storms, it's far from uncommon for basements to flood. The solution, of course, is to install a sump pump to drain the water from your basement before it becomes an issue. To fully prevent basement flooding, you should also have a home generator running as an automatic power backup in case of a power outage. This way, the sump pump will continue to operate, even if the power goes out. A generator will also prevent you from having to go hours without power if a line goes down or a transformer blows, both of which can happen at any time due to high winds or falling trees.

As you can see, even the worst kinds of home damage can be prevented with some sensible preparation. Take these preventative measures in your home today to keep it safe from damage for years to come.