Spring is here - time for seasonal changes in your home

March Connect - Spring Cleaning and Organizational tips!

Time for seasonal changes in your home.

Through the cold days and earlier nights,  falls the promise that spring is just around the corner.  This is a busy season for many – planning their gardens, plants, flowers, spring cleaning, re-organizing our closets etc.  During spring time there is a desire to ‘re-new’ our living areas.

Before we go into the spring cleaning tips we would like to highlight a local interior design business.  We were fortunate enough that the owner, Julie Mylnarsky, was able to give us some tips for home decorating and staging.

Envied Home is an interior decorating company, located in the Lehigh Valley, that specializes in residential staging and design.  They incorporate modern design aesthetic with their clients’ tastes and wishes that ultimately result in a uniquely stylish space that fits the lifestyle of its residents.  Their philosophy is that layering various design styles and elements creates a truly individual style that turns your home into an Envied Home.

Julie Mylnarsky, the founder and owner of Envied Home has been passionate about interior decorating and design for many years.   She started out by helping her friends and family with their decorating needs, who then encouraged her to turn professional and open her own company.  Prior to establishing Envied Home, Julie enjoyed a career in finance.  Growing up in New York City and extensive travels around the world helped Julie hone appreciation of art, architecture and design.

Julie Mylnarsky says: “The first thing any real estate agent or stager will tell you to do when putting your house up for sale is to de-clutter.   However, there are a number of ways to go about clearing your home from the cherished possessions you have carefully accumulated over many years.  Don’t simply go through the motions hoping that potential buyers will understand that you are too busy to really sort through the piles of mail/toys/laundry/etc, or that they will be able to see beyond your wild choice of wall colors and only notice the great bones of the house.

The number one rule of putting a house on a market is to remember that you are not selling your home but a house.  Your family, possessions and memories that made it a home are coming with you to the new location.

Treat every open house and viewing appointment as a first date.  The same exact logic of carefully getting ready and making a good impression apply.  The skeletons from your closet or the basement can be let out during the inspection, if things progress that far.”

The beginning of all re-decorating should start with a thorough spring cleaning.  It may be overwhelming trying to clean the whole house.  We suggest that our clients focus on one area at a time.

Spring Cleaning is an opportunity to throw open the windows, let some fresh air in, and make our homes clean, happy, and efficient spaces.  Don’t be daunted by the size of this list, many of the jobs are small ones that will go by quickly, and you’ll be so glad you took the time to do them!  Put on a kitchen timer, and see what you can accomplish in 15 minutes!

 FOYER

• Dust lighting fixtures.
• Wash walls and trim
• Wash doors, knobs and switch plates.
• Wash bench or other furnishings.  Launder bench cushion, if applicable.
• Clean or replace entry mat.
• Sweep and scrub floors. 
• Reseal grout lines, if necessary.

BEDROOMS

• Open windows
• Dust furniture.
• For each drawer: remove items, wash drawer, place items back neatly   
• Remove everything from closets.
• Move Bed
• Freshen mattress by sprinkling with baking soda, letting sit briefly, and the vacuuming it up.
• Launder bedding and curtains. 
• Wash pillows and duvet in hot water. 
• Air out mattress pad, if you have one.
• Dust lights. Clean lamp shades.
• Wash windows and window sills.  Take out and wash window screens.
• Wash switch plates.  Wash walls and trim as needed.
• Wash mirrors or dust art.
• Wash doors and doorknobs.
• Wash floor registers and other vent covers.
• Sweep and wash floor or vacuum.

 BATHROOMS

•  Open windows
• Empty all cabinets and vanity.  Wash inside, replace items neatly.  Discard expired medications and cosmetics.
• Wash outside of cabinets and vanities
• Clean tub. Wax if necessary. Clean drain.
• Clean toilet, inside and out.  Remove seat and clean around seat bolts.
• Clean sink and drain.
• Shine faucets.
• Clean mirror and frame .
• Dust light fixtures.
• Wash windows and window sills. Take out and wash window screens.
• Wash switch plates.  wash walls and trim.  Wash doors and door knobs.
• Wash floor registers and other vent covers.
• Sweep and wash floors. 
• Reseal grout lines if necessary.

 KITCHEN

• Open windows.
• Remove and clean window coverings.
• For each cabinet or drawer: Remove items, wipe out drawer, place items back neatly.  Donate unneeded items.
• Wash and sanitize cutting boards
• Sharpen knives
• Wash cabinet doors and knobs
• Clean and organize pantry.  Check food expiry dates.
• Clean oven.
• Clean stove top.  Remove elements and drip bowls, if applicable, wash and put back.
• Clean and organize fridge and freezer.  Defrost freezer, if necessary.  Check food expiry dates.
• Clean under fridge and stove.
• Vacuum refrigerator coils.
• Clean microwave.
• Clean crumbs out of toaster.
• Clean and descale kettle.
• Wipe down any other counter appliances
• Wash counters and back splash.
• Wash and shine sink.  Shine faucet. Clean drain.
• Clean Dishwasher.
• Dust light fixtures.
• Wash windows and window sills.  Remove window screens and wash.
• Wash switch plates. 
• Wash walls and trim as needed.
• Wash doors and door knobs.
• Wash floor registers and other vent covers
• Sweep and wash floor. 
• Reseal grout lines, if necessary.

 DINING ROOM

• Open windows.
• Wash curtains.
• Wipe down table and chairs.
• Wipe down or dust other furnishing.
• Clean chair pads, if applicable.
• Polish table, if necessary
• Create a pretty spring vignette on table!
• Dust any displayed china or serving dishes.
• Launder table linens.
• Shine silverware.
• Dust art.
• Wash windows and window sills.  Take out and wash window screens.
• Wash switch plates
• Wash walls and trim.
• Wash doors and door knobs
• Wash floor registers and other vent covers.
• Clean floors.

 LIVING ROOM/ FAMILY ROOM/ PLAYROOM

•  Open windows.
• Vacuum sofas.
• Spot clean sofas, if applicable.
• Launder throw pillows and blankets.
• Dust shelves, furniture and decor.
• Clean lamps and lampshades.
• Wash windows and window sills.
• Take out and wash window screens.
• Clean television screen.
• Carefully dust electronics.
• Tidy electronics wires.  Tuck nicely out of sight.  Label them, if practical.
• Sort through music and DVD collections.  Purge things that no longer suit your families interests.  Organize what is left in an attractive manner.
• Sort books and magazines.  Donate or recycle ones that no longer suit your families interests.
• Wash hard plastic children’s toys with warm soapy water. Rinse and dry.  Launder stuffed toys.  Donate or store toys that your children have grown too old for.
• Wash switch plates.
• Wash walls and trim as needed.
• Wash doors and knobs.
• Wash floor registers and other vent covers.
• Clean floors.

 LAUNDRY ROOM

• Open windows.
• Wash windows and window sills.
• Take out and wash window screens.
• Wash cabinet doors.
• Wash inside cabinets.
• Wash laundry sink.  Shine faucet.  Clean drains.
• Wash outside of washer and dryer.
• Wash inside of washing machine.
• Wash lint trap with soap and water to remove filmy build-up from laundry soaps and dryer sheets. Let air dry thoroughly before putting back in place.
• Wash switch plates.
• Wash walls and trim.
• Wash doors and door knobs.
• Wash floor registers and other vent covers.
• Sweep and wash floors.
• Reseal grout lines, if applicable.

 STAIRWELLS

• Sweep/vacuum stairs
• Spot clean walls.
• Wipe down handrail.
• Dust art and light fixtures.
• OUTSIDE
• Sweep porches and walkway.
• Wash thresholds.
• Wash exterior doors.  Give front door a fresh coat of paint, if necessary.
• Clean or replace welcome mat.
• Wash siding.

 REMEMBER TO:

• Clean blades of ceiling fans.
• Sort through and organize family photographs (digitally or into albums).
• Sort and clean any extra zones such as linen closets, utility closets, and office spaces.

TIPS FOR A CLEAN AND TIDY FRIDGE:

• Check the dates on items as you put them back in your fridge. Throw out anything that is past it’s prime.
• Put like foods together on the same shelf.
• The conventional wisdom is to put raw meats at the bottom of your fridge so that they can’t contaminate other foods.
• Line your produce drawers with paper towels to help keep them clean longer.
• Baskets are great problem solvers!
• Do you get the same sandwich ingredients out every day to assemble packed lunches? Why not pile those things in a basket?!
• Do you often serve garden salads with a choice of dressings?  Place all your salad dressings in an attractive basket with a handle so you can place the whole thing on the table at dinner time and put them all away with one trip to the fridge when you’re done!
• Put half a slightly squeezed lemon or lime in a polka dot bowl to keep everything smelling fresh.

KID’S CLOSET ORGANIZATION:

Visuals remind little ones where everything belongs. Encourage children to be part of the de-cluttering process with picture labels or color-coded tags that help them know where to find and return items. Sort clothing, shoes, toys, and accessories into labeled bins and drawers to get kids in the habit of cleaning up after themselves. Use shallow, transparent bins to store play clothes and toys so children don’t need to empty contents to reach items at the bottom.

SWEEP STEPS AND REPLACE DOORMATS:

Most household dirt — 75 to 80 percent — is tracked in from outside. Keep your home cleaner by regularly sweeping driveways, porches, sidewalks, and garage doors. Spring is a perfect time to add a new doormat to both the inside and the outside of the door.

Throughout the year, we work with realtors and home owners by helping stage and maintain vacation and year-long homes.  Making a few changes makes a huge difference in how you feel.  If your home is visually peaceful, you will find yourself with more calm days.

We work with our clients by designing 2-3 hour cleaning packages as we strategically focus on specific parts of their house.    If you are interested in finding out more information about our team of Personal Assistants we would be happy to schedule a complimentary meet-n-greet.  Let us handle your family needs while you spend a little extra time with your family and friends.

As always, there are no minimums to utilize our services.  Please note, on average it takes us 4-6 weeks to on-board a new client.  Contact us early to make sure you give yourself plenty of time to go through our process.  We look forward to hearing from you soon!