Spring cleaning can be a daunting task, however, given that most people are quarantined, now seems like a great time to go through closets, basements, garages, and the rest of the house to decide what you want to keep and what needs to be given or thrown away.
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Unfortunately most places that normally accept donations are now closed or are not accepting them at the moment. This should not keep you from going through your home. Below are a couple options for what to do with the items you no longer want around your home.

If you have items that are still in good shape and would normally be donated, instead of throwing them out, organize a neighborhood swap. Chances are that if you have things that need a new home, so will your neighbors. Plan a day that you can put tables at the ends of your driveways or in your lawn, so you and your neighbors can swap items. Remember to continue to social distance and wear masks. This can be a safe way to freshen up your home with new items while also cleaning out other items.

While some of the items you are getting rid of can be donated or swapped, others may be too worn out for a new owner. If you have large items or the items you are throwing away won’t fit in your garbage can, consider sharing the cost of a dumpster with some of your neighbors. Decide on what size dumpster you all can fill, then you can split the cost in a couple different ways. The first way to split the cost is by figuring out what percentage of the dumpster each family will use then each pays that percentage of the bill. Another way is for each family to make a contribution of what they feel is reasonable. If there is leftover money, decide as a group on a charity where you could donate the extra money.​

In this time when so many are isolated and alone, these ideas for spring cleaning can be a good way to safely connect as a community. It is important to remember in these times that even though we are separated, there are still ways we can come together to continue to work for the good of the community and world.

Now that it is a month into the new year, let’s check in on your resolutions. Did you resolve to keep a cleaner house? Go through a cupboard every week? Clean out the basement closet that hasn’t seen light for five years? Regardless of what your resolution is we could all use a couple tips on where to start simplifying and decluttering our homes. 

There are plenty of places to start when it comes to simplifying, but it helps to start in an area you will see the quickest results. A couple of these areas are the kitchen, and common living spaces. 

When approaching the kitchen, here are a couple things you should think about:

• Spices
  • When going through your spices, look at their expiration dates. Spices don’t necessarily expire, but they can lose their potency. When you go to buy spices next time, consider buying the small containers. Unless you use a spice every day you are not going to use them up before they lose some flavor.
• Appliances
  • There are many kitchen appliances that are trends but don’t always get used on a regular basis such as air fryers, ice cream machines, bread makers…the list could go on, trust me. When going through your cabinets, ask yourself if you have used the appliance within the last year. If you haven’t it is time for it to find a new home. If you have used it, consider what the occasion was and how often. Could it be something that you share with a close friend or family member to help get more uses out of it? The next time you are looking at purchasing a new appliance think about how often you will realistically use that new appliance.

Toys are another hard thing to get rid especially if your kids are still young. As a mother of four, I had to be creative when it came to getting rid of to

• Trick #1
  • Gather the toys your children don’t play with as often into a bin or container, then put it somewhere out of sight such as your closet or the basement storage area for three months, if during that time they ask if you have seen a specific toy, then go grab it out of storage. If they don’t ask for any of the toys you put away by the end of the three months, then it is time to give them away to a new home.
• Trick #2
  • If your child is having a hard time parting with a toy, they have outgrown it can  be easier to give it to someone they know will enjoy it. My children always had an easier time getting rid of toys if they knew who they gave them to. Is there a child that lives down the street that is better aged for the toy? Suggest bringing it down to their house, so you child can see the joy on their face when they receive the gift. This shows your child that it has a good home. It also might teach them the joy of giving.

Another area to tackle is the dreaded paperwork. Going through paperwork can be overwhelming if there isn’t a plan going in, but once you get it under control it will be easier to manage. It can be difficult to know how long important documents need to be kept, but the following list will help.
 
How Long to Keep Important Documents

• Tax documents should be kept for seven years
• Legal documents such as birth certificates and marriage licenses keep forever
• Financial statements keep the original purchase paperwork and then the most recent statement

All in all, the most important thing to remember is just to get started. This is the hardest part, but the most important. 

If you are trying to think of holiday gifts for your loved ones, here are some clutter-free ideas. 

Do you have any other ideas for gifts that won't clutter up a home? Share your ideas below!

You have decided to downsize, what now?
Moving at any time can be stressful but when you have lived in your home for twenty plus years it can be overwhelming.  Often times it is well advised to hire an outside person to help with the overall process, that is where a Senior Move Manager comes in.
Perhaps you have heard of senior move managers but have no idea what they do. Here are some of the things they do and what to look for when hiring them.
What they do

1. Help you make the sometimes difficult and emotional decisions of what to keep and what to part with.
2. Presenting options of what to do with the things you are parting with.
3. Help facilitate donations, estate sales and disposal of your items.
4. Packing and sorting items.
5. Emotional support.
6. An emotional buffer amongst family members
7. Helping you realistically see what will fit in your new home.
8. Unpacking and getting settled in your new home.
9. Help you coordinate and schedule all of the moving parts; movers, estate sales, cleaners etc.

 
What to look for

1. Will they tailor their approach to how you like to work?
2. Does their personality work with you? 
3. Are they willing to have friends and family assist to save you money?
4. Are you able to choose only some of their services?
5. Do you have to sign a package deal?
6. Who will you be working with? The person that consults with you or someone else?

 

​Spring is here and we all want to enjoy this beautiful weather. Before summer sets in and you are tripping over your snowblower or bumping into your bikes take a day to organize and clean out your garage. Pick a nice day to make the project more enjoyable.

As you are taking everything out of the garage, assess your need for every item. Have you used it in the last year? Is it in good working order? Will you use it in the next year? If you answered no to any of these questions, seriously consider getting rid of the item.  If the items are in good working order donate them.

When the garage is empty, sweep or blow out the garage, then check for any issues such as rodents, major cracks/holes or water issues. If they can be taken care of immediately handle them, otherwise schedule a time to address the issue.

If you do not have a convenient place for your rakes, shovels and hoes consider putting up hooks or a hanging rack. If your bikes are all over and falling into your car, get a simple hook to hang them on the wall or under a taller shelf.

If you have a number of smaller items on the floor, consider some shelving. If you are handy you can build some otherwise purchase some sturdy shelves at your local home improvement center.
                                                            Happy Clearing Out!

You have heard the saying that “the only thing constant is change” … never truer than in housing transitions.
A client of mine planned to move into a senior living complex that was under construction. She received a move in date and her real estate agent Sharlene Hensrud of RE/MAX Results HomesMSP Team got ready to list her home. Numerous changes happened along the way. The date that her unit would be ready kept being pushed out. During this time, she had a medical emergency that put her in the hospital followed by rehab. Unable to return to her home due to health issues and with her new place in the senior complex not ready she needed to find transitional housing. Meanwhile she needed to get her home on the market quickly. Her daughter who lives out of state contacted me to help with the transition. Her daughter rented a SmartBox and my team and I packed up her condo, filled the box and it was moved to storage. Weeks later her new place was ready, the SmartBox was delivered and my team and I moved her in to her new place.
Although it wasn’t what they had originally planned the transition went smoothly and she is happily settled into her new home. 

As we get a chill in the air here in the north, we need to start thinking about prepping for winter. I like to do as much as I can before it gets to cold.

1. Go through your garage and take all paints into the house. Freezing can ruin your paint.
2. If you have grass seed or other seeds in your garage place them in mouse proof containers to avoid attracting them to your garage.
3. Walk the perimeter of your home and seal any cracks to keep mice out.
4. Purchase a fuel stabilizer for your lawn mower and follow the directions for use.
5. Remove and drain all of your hoses then prep your spigots for winter.
6. Clean out your gutters to avoid water issues.
7. Clean out your car and make sure you have window scrapers in the car. Also, prepare your winter survival kit for your car. Depending on how far out of a city you travel, here are some suggestions for your kit; a shovel, flashlight with extra batteries, water, snack food, matches and candles extra hats, socks and mittens, first aid kit, sleeping bag or warm blanket, pocket knife, tow chain, and cat liter or sand for traction.

Stay warm and enjoy WINTER

So you have decided to move into a smaller home. Now comes the challenge of what to take with you and what to let go of. Do you have heirloom china or maybe you have an excess amount of cookbooks and cooking magazines? Perhaps you have a garage full of unfinished projects that have ended up in the abyss of good intentions.