How To Decide What To Keep or Toss When Decluttering

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the clutter in your home? It's easy to collect an assortment of items that eventually take up valuable space. But how do you decide what to keep or toss when decluttering? Ease your stress around this decision-making process with our helpful tips. Soon, your home will be an organized oasis!

Reflect on the Purpose and Value of Each Item

Start by considering the usefulness of each item in your home. Ask yourself if you need it, if you truly love it, or if it holds significant sentimental value. Sometimes we hold on to items out of obligation, guilt, or a fear of letting go. Be honest with yourself and make a judgment based on what truly serves a purpose or brings joy to your life.

Apply the One-Year Rule

Have you used the item in the past year? If not, it may be time to part ways. If you haven't needed it in the past 365 days, you likely won't need it moving forward. This rule helps maintain a tidy and practical living space where the items present are ones that you actively use and appreciate.

Categorize Items for Organizing

Group your belongings into categories. You could put clothing, kitchenware, and items associated with a specific hobby into different groups, for instance. Organize your storage unit shelving in a way that’s easy to access and visually pleasing. Creating designated spaces gives you a clear idea of where everything belongs, facilitating the decision-making process when decluttering.

Consult the Five-Box Method

The five-box method offers a straightforward way to separate your items. Mark five boxes with the following labels: “keep,” “toss,” “donate,” “sell,” and “unsure.” As you sort through your belongings, place them in the corresponding box. This method provides a visual representation of your progress and helps keep things organized.

Consider Downsizing Duplicate Items

Look around and identify any items that serve the same purpose. Do you need three can openers or five black T-shirts? Keep the best or most sentimental of the duplicates, but let the others go.

Decluttering can be daunting, but it's ultimately about making your home more enjoyable and functional. Through these guidelines, you should know how to decide what to keep or toss when decluttering. So start your decluttering journey today and enjoy the benefits of a more organized, comfortable, and serene living space.

How To Prepare Your Household for Natural Disasters

Forces of nature can cause harm to your family and your home. However, with a well-laid plan in place to ensure your residence remains intact, you can protect it and your loved ones. Use these methods to prepare your household for natural disasters and keep your family home ready for unfortunate events.

Secure Furniture

Natural forces can pick up the furniture inside and around the home and throw it around. This can cause damage, so securing your furniture benefits the house and prevents more danger to your family. Secure large furniture items, such as bookshelves and tall cabinets, to the wall.

During earthquakes, these tall pieces of furniture are more likely to tip over and crush someone underneath it, leaving them trapped and injured. Ensuring they don’t move from the wall, regardless of how much the house shakes, creates safety.

Outside furniture, such as patio chairs and tables, may damage the home’s exterior during a tornado. Bolt this furniture to the deck or ground to make it less likely for the tornado’s vehement winds to pick it up and toss it through your windows.

Small objects, such as toys and tools, are also potential hazards that could lead to injury, so pack them away. Providing less fodder for harsh winds to impact the home will ensure everyone’s safety.

Make a Shelter

If you’re at home when a natural disaster occurs, you can’t escape, so you must take action to stay safe. Create a shelter for you and your family inside the home to provide better protection until the natural event subsides.

Basements are typically the go-to area for most people who need protection from the worsening elements since it’s below ground level. Add extra insulation for a durable layer to protect you from harsh winds.

Always Have Emergency Plans

Natural disasters are serious emergencies; like all emergencies, you need a plan to protect the home and your family. Make plans for the home for any disaster. Develop areas to hide under in the event of an earthquake and have an area that drains easily for flooding.

Showing your kids how to shut off utilities like water, gas, and electricity ensures there’s less chance of a worsening situation, such as an explosion in the event of a fire reaching a gas line. Also, consider making a roofing emergency action plan in case something happens to the roof and include numbers for reputable contractors and your insurance company.

The best way to ensure the safety of your home is through planning and preparedness. Keep your household prepared for natural disasters with these methods and ensure your family has a place to rest their heads after the danger passes.

The Pros and Cons of Fiberglass Swimming Pools

On those sweltering summer days, there’s nothing better than taking a dip in your own private backyard oasis. If you’re resurfacing, remodeling, or thinking of finally installing the pool of your dreams, you may have already heard a thing or two about fiberglass pools. It’s true that fiberglass is one of the most durable swimming pool materials, but it isn’t for everybody. If you want to get one step closer to building the pool of your dreams, take a look at the pros and cons of fiberglass swimming pools.

The Pros of Fiberglass Swimming Pools

If you’re remodeling your swimming pool, one of your first steps is deciding what pool finish is best for you and your pool. If you’re looking for a finish that will last you decades, fiberglass is the way to go, as it can last up to 30 years. Not only do fiberglass pools last long, but they’re also incredibly low maintenance. Unlike other porous surfaces, fiberglass gelcoat is smooth and resists algae, meaning you don’t have to spend countless hours cleaning and getting your pool’s chemical balance just right. Plus, their durability and low maintenance mean you spend less money in the long run.

Fiberglass pools are also the easiest and fastest to install and typically only take one to two weeks, whereas other pools, such as concrete, can take months. This is because fiberglass pools come pre-shaped, so all workers need to do is set and secure them.

The Cons of Fiberglass Swimming Pools

The limited design options are probably the biggest downside to fiberglass pools. While there are dozens of designs to choose from, they aren’t as customizable as other pools due to their pre-shaped nature. You can only choose from what a contractor has. The other downside is that the color of fiberglass pools tends to fade in the sun. So if you need a spot repair, it’s hard to match the color, and the repair will likely stand out. The worse the damage is, the more likely it is that you’ll need an entire replacement because the capacity for workers to repair large holes and cracks is fairly limited.

Are Fiberglass Swimming Pools Right for You?

We know the pros and cons of fiberglass swimming pools, but are they the right fit for you? Overall, fiberglass pools have more advantages than disadvantages in terms of costs, durability, and maintenance. However, if you have a dream pool in mind and want to see that vision come to life, fiberglass may not be the right fit for you. Ultimately, if you’re still on the fence about installing a fiberglass pool, you should speak with a swimming pool contractor who can break down the details. You may be able to get your dream pool and save money doing it.