Packing up the Holidays

The holidays are here but all I can think about is having to put all my decorations away
afterwards, hopefully before valentines day this year. So how do we make a generally
fun experience (decorating), not terrible doing it in reverse (packing up), cause honestly,
packing anything sucks. Especially when you're trying to put away your holiday
memories and traditions without accidentally shattering them, while also being mindful
of the fact that you need to find these things next year. So… what can you do?

Looking at it all as one big task will be to overwhelming and your decorations will be
up until next December. If you think about it all as small tasks it’s going to be tedious
and you’re going to procrastinate until something forces you to do it, and I don’t know
you, maybe you don’t have someone who will judge you harshly enough to drive you
to finally do it.  My suggestion is you break it down into a few sweeping tasks. Take
down all ornaments, the ones decorating the tree, the ones in bowls decorating the
table, on wreaths, and in garland. Then move onto gathering all the wreathes and
packing them away, and then the garland, and then the tree. envision yourself removing
all of those items task by task, you’re pretty close to done, aren’t you? That was only
four tasks and your already almost done! You can do it like that or you can do it by
section, fireplace, table tops, wall hangings or you can do it room by room, living room, kitchen, lobby, den.

So, once you get everything away how do you keep them straight and easily findable
for the next holiday season? You can either sort out a clear labeling and storing system
for yourself, or you can get clear bins. I still suggest you store your stuff in a methodical
order, so you know what you’re going to pull out first and what you’re pulling out last.

The best way to keep yourself from accidentally destroying childhood memories is to
be prepared while packing everything away. Have your bins as close as possible to
minimize travelling distance between it’s where it’s been and where it is going. Also
have whatever you’re using for cushion on hand from the tree, to the old news paper,
straight into the bin. Don’t pause, don’t pass go, right into storage. That’s the safest
thing you can do. Don’t forget there's always a chance you drop your bins on the way to
wherever you store them. So, don’t overstuff your bins, pack them lightly and with lots
of cushion.

Finally, don’t forget that it’s okay to wait a little while. It would be super depressing if
you cleared everything up along with the wrappings from the presents. It’s the most
wonderful time of the year! Let it linger a little longer. Just try not to wait until
Valentine’s Day.

Choosing your Paint: Sheen/Finish

So… paint sheen… is it really important? Yes, actually it’s very important. There are a number of important visual and functional ramifications to picking the wrong sheen. The wrong paint finish can throw-off the effect of an entire room.

	Pro’s	Con’s
High-Sheen/ Glossy	- Glossy sheen formulas are easier to keep clean. Glossy sheens produce the toughest, most stain-resistant and smooth finishes. - To achieve a 3-D feel, consider using gloss paint on the trim in a room that has otherwise been painted with a low-lustre or flat paint. Also consider using gloss finishes to help architectural features pop – such as entry doors or trim around ornate glass work. - Brighten naturally dark rooms by reflecting light and magnifying.	- Glossy sheens add vibrancy and bounce more light. This can add a spasmodic and blinding effect. It creates excessive glare. - Spaces with glossier paint finishes, depending on the color, are harder to relax in.
Semi-Gloss, Low-lustre/ Satin, or Eggshell.	- All of these finishes have a sheen that is between Glossy and Matte paints and are listed in order from glossiest to dullest. - These finishes present warmer than and provide a greater appearance of depth than flat paints. - More resistant to stains than flat paint. - Like High-gloss paint they reflect more light and brighten a darker space.	- Don’t have as much of a dramatic effect as either High-Gloss or Matte finishes. - Semi-gloss can have the same effects of Glossy paint in the wrong lighting,
Flat/Matte	- Can create beautiful effects! - Can conceal surface blemishes better than paint with more reflective properties. Smooths out walls that are dented or rough. - Great for downplaying and receding surfaces, such as ceilings or other surfaces you want to downplay.	Conversely, high paint-pigment levels, along with coarse pigment granules, create duller, rougher and less resilient finishes. Unfortunately, stains are often difficult to remove from flat finishes. Unlike paints with higher sheen, a non-reflective, flat paint finish has a porous texture, which can trap dirt and result in burnishing when scrubbed or rubbed

Delana Cotton servers the northeast Atlanta region that includes Dacula, Winder, Lawrenceville, Buford, Snellville, Conyers and surrounding areas. Delana treats every transaction as if she were you, the buyer or seller. If you have a real estate transaction on the horizon, meet Delana for a no pressure chat over coffee. 

Deep Cleaning Your New House

So, you’ve bought a new home! First, congratulations on your new home. You’ve gotten past the hard part and now you’re on the final leg of the process, moving in. However, just because the house is new doesn’t mean it’s clean. Before you move in your furniture, you’re going to need to thoroughly clean your new house. Until then anything you move into the space is just going to an obstacle for your cleaning. So now you have the herculean task of deep cleaning the entirety of your new home, but where should you start?

1. Make a List

Everything is more manageable when you have things you can check off of a list You know everything that needs to be done, which reduces the stress of a task. Also, the instant gratification of being able to check things off of a list is amazing motivation. Go from room to room and write down everything that needs to be done in each space. Sweep the floor, dust the ceiling fan, wipe down the baseboards, mopping, dust the mantle, wipe down the windows, etc.

2. Start from one corner to the opposite corner.

It’s best to start from the ceiling, knocking all the dust and the dirt to the floor, so that you won’t end up having to clean the floors several times. I also suggest cleaning from the furthest corner from the door outwards until you make it out of the room. That way if you’re mopping or sweeping you don’t end up putting your dirty shoes or feet on your freshly cleaned floors.

3. Hit the Appliances

If you’ve inherited some of the appliances from the previous owners of the house, first congratulations they’ve saved you a good amount of money. However, even if they cleaned they’ve probably missed something, and you don’t want to cook in the remains of someone else’s crumbs, baked in grease, and dirt. Break everything down so you can clean your appliances thoroughly. Be much more careful with stainless steel, it’s not all that forgiving when it comes to chemical reactions — that blue dish soap and hot water will usually do the trick.

4. DON’T SKIP THE WINDOWS AND LIGHT FIXTURES

Look, I know you're tired of this by now and I’m sorry, but I promise that it’s totally worth it. If your house isn’t new you don’t know when they were last cleaned. You think your light fixtures are frosted glass… they might actually be clear. Accumulation of dirt in clear light fixtures looks strangely like they were meant to be opaque. You would be surprised at how much light you might be missing out on when your light fixtures aren’t clean.

Same with your windows. Unlock the window, lift it about a quarter of the way, then pinch the two tabs on the top toward the center while pulling the window toward you. On higher end windows, the top panel will also tilt in. With the bottom pane tilted into the room, lower the upper pane about a quarter of the way, or until you can see the same tabs that are on the lower pane and repeat the process. When you’re done cleaning, just push the panes back into their tracks one at a time until you hear a click. The increase of natural light will be rewarding.