Declutter your Los Angeles home
I have lived in my present home for over a decade. And like many long time home owners, my family has accumulated a lot of stuff. Each month, I declutter one thing, it might be a closet, or perhaps only the kitchen junk drawer. But if every month you tackle one area (big or small) your clutter won’t get out of control. When I meet with potential home sellers, the biggest impediment to getting their home on the market is often clutter.
Clutter costs money and creates chaos. You don't know or can’t locate what you have, so you buy more. I have a large closet and have been throwing gift wrap items in it for years. Because I was just tossing ribbons and bows in the jumbled mess, I never really knew what I had or what I needed and kept buying more ribbons and bows. I finally organized my gift wrap closet; I know exactly what I have and I won’t need to buy ribbons or bows for years. In the meantime, I can quickly wrap a gift; it is no longer a chore.
I was at a friend’s home recently and asked for a Band-Aid. They had an industrial first aid cabinet kit attached to their kitchen pantry door. They have young children and can easily locate the Band-Aids, antiseptic, etc. - all of those items that are constantly being used when you have children around. Clean out the medicine cabinet and keep your over the counter medications in one central location. This is especially helpful if you have several in your household; if someone has a cold they know where to locate the cold medicine.
Clear the counters. Mixers, blenders, and items that are not used on a daily basis should be put away. Designate a spot for incoming papers. It can be as simple as a basket on the kitchen counter. Mail, magazines and (school) papers create a lot of clutter when we scatter them all over the home.
One last thought, if you are hosting Thanksgiving, clean out your refrigerator now so that you will have room for all of the food and ingredients you will be buying.
Clutter costs money and creates chaos. You don't know or can’t locate what you have, so you buy more. I have a large closet and have been throwing gift wrap items in it for years. Because I was just tossing ribbons and bows in the jumbled mess, I never really knew what I had or what I needed and kept buying more ribbons and bows. I finally organized my gift wrap closet; I know exactly what I have and I won’t need to buy ribbons or bows for years. In the meantime, I can quickly wrap a gift; it is no longer a chore.
I was at a friend’s home recently and asked for a Band-Aid. They had an industrial first aid cabinet kit attached to their kitchen pantry door. They have young children and can easily locate the Band-Aids, antiseptic, etc. - all of those items that are constantly being used when you have children around. Clean out the medicine cabinet and keep your over the counter medications in one central location. This is especially helpful if you have several in your household; if someone has a cold they know where to locate the cold medicine.
Clear the counters. Mixers, blenders, and items that are not used on a daily basis should be put away. Designate a spot for incoming papers. It can be as simple as a basket on the kitchen counter. Mail, magazines and (school) papers create a lot of clutter when we scatter them all over the home.
One last thought, if you are hosting Thanksgiving, clean out your refrigerator now so that you will have room for all of the food and ingredients you will be buying.
Posted by Phyllis Harb at 11/25/2008 4:01 AM 
Categories: Homeowner's Benefits and Woes, Clutter Buster
Categories: Homeowner's Benefits and Woes, Clutter Buster
Trackbacks
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12/30/2008 8:52 PM
Los Angeles Real Estate Blog wrote:
I know I harp about decluttering your home, but a little bit goes along way. And one day it will be time to move and do you really want to move all of the stuff? If your home is on the market and has not sold, why don’t you see how it looks through potential homebuyers searching the MLS (multiple listing service). Hopefully, before the photos of your home were taken, you made the beds and cleaned the kitchen. This Glendale home just sold after 241 days on the market and 3 price reductions. ... -
12/31/2008 8:58 AM
Los Angeles Real Estate Blog wrote:
I know I harp about decluttering your home, but a little bit goes along way. And one day it will be time to move and do you really want to move all of the stuff? If your home is on the market and has not sold, why don’t you see how it looks through potential homebuyers searching the MLS (multiple listing service). Hopefully, before the photos of your home were taken, you made the beds and cleaned the kitchen. This Glendale home just sold after 241 days on the market and 3 price reductions. ... -
1/21/2009 3:33 PM
Los Angeles Real Estate Blog wrote:
I know I harp about decluttering your home, but a little bit goes along way. And one day it will be time to move and do you really want to move all of the stuff? If your home is on the market and has not sold, why don’t you see how it looks through potential homebuyers searching the MLS (multiple listing service). Hopefully, before the photos of your home were taken, you made the beds and cleaned the kitchen. This Glendale home just sold after 241 days on the market and 3 price reductions. ...
Once again Phyllis, great tips!
John aka OrganizingLA
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Thanks for reading and thank you for the compliment.
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