This issue we take the curb appeal inside your home and keep it neat….
When you look through the real estate agents listings you notice how well-presented houses look in their photos. How tidy everything is. No signs of clutter or everyday living. If you’re selling your home and living in it at the same time, it is hard to achieve that beautifully staged look for potential buyers. Here are some handy hints on how to keep your house neat and tidy on an everyday basis so that when that house viewing happens you can get the house beautifully staged in an instant.
Don’t let the dishes stack up – Sounds simple enough but with our ever busy lives sometimes it is all too easy to leave the dishes for later. Get into the habit of doing them as you go when cooking and make sure they are done after every meal. In particular, make sure they are done before you go to bed. That way you don’t have to wake up and do them the next morning
Keep your surfaces clear – As you look through the glossy house features you’ll notice a definite lack of ‘stuff’ on surfaces. Try to keep all your surfaces clear. The odd prominently placed object is fine. A plant, photo frame, books; but put everything else away. With your surfaces, clear they are easier to wipe down more regularly.
Get rid of what you don’t use or need – To help keep your surfaces clear, go through drawers and cupboards and get rid of anything you don’t need or use anymore. This will free up space for anything on the surfaces that you want to keep. Put it away – As you go about your daily routine, put things away as you finish with them. Get the rest of the family involved in this too. Put shoes away when you walk in, rather than a pile at the door. Invest in neat storage solutions, you’ll have a place for everything. By making sure everything gets put back in its place, you won’t need to worry where things are and again your surfaces and other clutter collecting areas will always be clear.
Wipe the bathroom every day – I’m not talking full-on cleaning of the bathroom every day, but wiping the toilet and sink every day will not only make that big clean a whole lot easier, it will keep your bathroom fresh and sparkling all the time. Make it easier for yourself by keeping your bathroom spray, wipe cloth and a roll of paper towel in the bathroom.
Don’t let the laundry pile up – Try and do one load from start to finish at a time. This means from putting it in the washer to drying, ironing, folding and putting away. By dealing with one load in full you feel more accomplished when you put it all away. It also helps you to keep on top of it all, the laundry basket doesn’t overflow and you don’t get piles of “to iron” and “to put away”.
Do it now – If you see something that needs doing, a dusty surface, something that needs to be put away do it then and there. Don’t put it off for later or for when you do a whole top to bottom house clean. You want to minimise your cleaning time and by cleaning as you go, you’ll realise how much more time you actually get to do things you want to do rather than setting aside those times for cleaning.
Dust, vacuum, sweep and mop regularly –By doing these things regularly, it not only saves you from having to do one big clean a week, it means that your home will always look presentable whatever the day.
Get everyone involved – If you have a family, you may spend a lot your time picking up after others. Get everyone onboard with the new keep it neat plan. You’ll be surprised how when they see how great the house looks neat, it will all become second nature for everybody.