TIMES NEWS REAL ESTATE - Ad from 2021-01-09

HOMEWISE Real Estate Tips and Advice Homeowner Resolutions Everyone is more than ready for 2020 to end. Because the pandemic has kept us indoors, a focus on the home has become a priority and a pastime. Now that a new year is on the horizon, it’s time to create resolutions to keep your home safe, sound and clean. The experts at HGTV and other home-focused organizations recommend the following resolutions for homeowners: DECLUTTER You don’t have be Marie Kondo to recognize that streamlining, organizing and decluttering willl free your home of years of buildup of things you don’t use anymore. Now’s the time to go from room to room, separating those items to dispose of or donate to charity. Once you’ve made those decisions, find ways to creatively store useful but unattractive items in baskets or stacking containers decorated panels. You can quickly make a difference in your carbon footprint and your energy bills by doing simple things like turning off lights when you leave a room. Turning down the heater at night and turning off the air conditioner when you leave the home can also save you money. CREATE A WEEKLY CLEANING CHECKLIST © ADOBE STOCK REAL ESTATE 101 Going Green at Home Sustainable living already exists for many homeowners and can also be a reality for your home. The experts at the Redfin have prepared a list of changes you can make to your home to lessen your impact on the environment and reduce your utility bills at bit.ly/37Suj4B. in fabrics that complement your decor. You’ll find it has become much easier to keep rooms clean when you’re free of the clutter. SAFE AND SOUND Making your home safe for you and your family begins with ensuring health hazards such as radon are not seeping into the air you breathe. The EPA finds that 1 in 15 homes has elevated radon, a colorless, odorless gas than can cause lung cancer. Relatively cheap testing kits are available at your local hardware store. While you’re at it, test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to ensure they’re working properly and batter- ies are fresh. Also, beware a buildup of dryer lint. Many forget to cleean vents and ducts behind their dryers, where lint builds up all year and can become combustible. SHRINK YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT AND SAVE Going green doesn’t necessarily mean installing solar Keeping your home clean by doing small things each day makes it much easier when you dive into a deep clean. Here are some tips for creating a weekly cleaning checklist. Daily. Dishes go in the dishwasher every night. Put dirty clothes in the hamper and hang up jackets and put away clean clothes. Weekly. Keep all of your cleaners, as well as rubber gloves and spare cleaning cloths in a portable carryall that moves with you from room to room. To clean faster and more efficiently, take on one type of cleaning job at a time. For instance, clean windows and mirros before moving on to counters and table tops. Make it a family job by enlisting help and responsibilities. Dividing up cleaning among several people makes it go faster and gives everyone a sense of accomplishment.