Here are some tips if you switch out clothes for the season.  When storing away your summer clothes only pack up the ones you actually wore and donate the rest to Goodwill, Salvation Army or other charity, sell them in a yard sale or put them in a consignment shop and make yourself a little cash.  Storing clothes that you have not worn for the season takes up valuable storage space.

Use colored containers for storage and place an index card on three sides of the container and on the top listing its contents.  Be cautious storing them in attics or basements due to humidity, dampness, bugs or rodents.  Place wooden cedar pieces inside each container which are available at most home stores.  If you do not have a lot of storage space but you do have a garage, you can purchase overhead ceiling hanging shelves for your garage.  They are very durable and can hold up to 300lbs.

Use the “hanger trick” to decide if you should pack up an item this spring.  When you pull out your winter clothes and hang them in the closet, place the hangers on the rod with the opening of the hanger facing out towards you.  Once you wear the article of clothing and go to hang it back in the closet, place the hanger on the rod the normal way.  At the end of this winter season any clothes that are still on the hanger with the opening facing you, it is safe to assume you did not wear the item through the season and you should be able to donate it.

Take time to do this!

Do not put your house on the market until you have done this!

What Does Staging mean?

• Showing a perspective buyer that they want your home
• Preparing yourself for a move
• Fixing or replacing things that are broke
• Painting
• Remove Clutter (talk more in a bit)

Where do I start?

First, decide how much money you are willing/able to spend to make your house the most attractive it can be

Secondly, take a good hard look at your home (inside and out) and decide what areas need the most help to look

Where and how do I begin?

Drive down the street then come back. As you come back towards your house, start making observations:

Exterior:

• Landscaping – clean yard from debris = leaves, toys, plant a few flowers, lawn is neatly manicured at all times
• Walkway – make it look inviting
• Driveway- clean of old vehicles, toys, fix cracks, remove oil spots
• Porch – fresh paint and in good repair, clear of clutter (maybe a plant or one rocking chair, new cushions on furniture or remove)
• Steps and handrails- safe
• Front Door and Windows & Shutters – cleaned, painted repair torn screens, lights work

Interior:

• Good Time to pre-pack or donate. Rent a storage unit or store items somewhere else
• When a perspective buyer walks into your home, they want to be able to imagine their stuff in the home and not yours.
• Remove:

• Personal family pictures or any wall decorations that show a style
• Knick-knacks
• Clutter – papers, magazines, knick-knacks, nothing lying on the floor, nothing lying on top of surfaces
• Fake plants and flowers
• Wallpaper
• Paint all walls (neutral colors- off white, beiges, light browns, creams)
• Repair anything broken (doors, doorknobs, cabinet handles, and blinds)
• Replace all light bulbs that do not work
• Check all electrical outlets, window blinds & appliances

Living Room:

• Pack up most books, pictures, knick-knacks
• Large Furniture – remove or delete pieces, slip covers (make space look bigger)
• Candles – place a few around for warmth (unscented)

Kitchen: Most bang for your buck!!!

• Refrigerator – remove everything from front and sides
• Countertops – clean, remove small appliances & decorative items
• Cabinets – paint, new hardware
• Clean – Appliances inside and out (oven, pantry, refrigerator, cabinets)
• Lights – clean the fixtures and replace bulbs
• Curtains & Blinds – clean, replace or delete
• Flooring – may need to be repaired or replaced, no throw rugs

To make the area look good, pack up at least half of your utensils, cups, glasses, dishes, pots, pans. Do not have a lot of items in pantry – makes everything look bigger.

Bowl of fruit and a small lamp or candle on counter for a warm feeling and set the kitchen or dining room table with nice looking dishes ( buy some cheap ones if you need to)

Bathroom: Another Bang for your Buck!

• Paint
• Check & clean light fixtures and bulbs
• Windows, Curtain & Blinds – clean & good repair or replace/delete
• Bath Tub – get rid of stains, mold, leaking faucets
• Floor – replace or fix cracked tiles
• Medicine Cabinet - clean it out as well as other cabinets
• Countertops – update if necessary and have $ – nothing on them except a candle and maybe a small floral arrangement

• Shower Caddies – get rid of them

Bedrooms:

• Furniture – get rid of oversized furniture, depending on size of room = should only have bed, one chest of drawer, night stand and nothing should be on these but a lamp, clock, no jewelry boxes ( make the space look bigger)
• Closet doors and knobs – good working condition or replace, weed down items (make it look bigger)
• Paint – neutral colors
• No personal or distinctive pictures
• Carpet – neutral, no stains, not torn, no throw rugs

Garage: (make it look clean, big and attractive)

• Remove: all excess tools, toys, sports equipment or anything you do not use frequently
• Clean wall, flooring, doors & windows
• DO NOT use this as a storage area unless you have no other alternative

Basements/Family Room:

• Plenty of lighting
• Steps are safe and look nice
• Paint a light color to brighten it up and make it look bigger
• Clear it out unless you absolutely have to use it for storage or are used for family room
• If using it for a family room, take out as much as you can to make it look bigger

Below is an article that was submitted to me that I feel will be very useful and wanted to pass it along and I also encourage you to check out their website.

Seasonal Storage Basics: Top 5 Rules

Submitted by Ellen Bell

Ellen works for The Christmas Tree Storage Shop, a retail website offering seasonal storage solutions such as artificial tree storage bags. Visit us at www.christmastreestoragebag.net to check out other Christmas storage solutions.

Description:

Seasonal storage is a dilemma for many families. What do you do with all your holiday decorations for the other 11 months of the year? Learn how to get your seasonal storage organized right now so that holiday decorating goes faster and more smoothly next year.

Seasonal storage is something that many of us struggle with from year to year. We spend a lot of money on holiday decorations, and we want to make sure that those items are protected from damage while in storage. Yet at the same time, we all get so busy, and sometimes it’s just easier to throw everything in one box or plastic bag, stick it in a closet, and forget about it until next year! Inevitably, this always leads to more time and frustration when “next year” arrives and it’s time to decorate again. Save yourself some time in the long run by investing a little time and energy now by learning the top 5 rules of seasonal storage basics

Rule 1: Fix it first

Have you ever opened your artificial Christmas tree box or your Christmas tree stand and found that something was broken or a piece was missing when you took it down last year? As soon as you see this, you’ll probably remember your good intentions last year of fixing the problem or replacing the missing piece before storing the tree or stand away, but somehow it just didn’t happen. This leads us to Rule number 1: Fix it first! Never store a holiday decoration away until it is in good repair.

Rule 2: Preparation

This one kind of goes hand in hand with Rule 1. Before storing any holiday decorations away, you should first make sure they are prepared and ready to go for next season. For example, if you have old worn out strings of lights, throw those out. A set of candles that’s burned almost completely out? Toss them, too. If you use any battery powered lights on coffee tables or end tables, take the batteries out and dispose of them properly before storing the light sets away. You’ll want new batteries in them next year. All this might take you a little extra time at the end of the holiday season, but it will save you a lot of time at the beginning of the holiday season next year!

Rule 3: Like items together

When you’re getting ready to organize your seasonal storage, always remember to keep like items together. That is, all your holiday lights should be stored together in one box, all the nativity set figurines in another, and so on. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to dig through all your seasonal storage boxes to find the two matching candlesticks that should have been stored together in the first place.

Rule 4: Store it wisely

Now that you’re ready to store your items away, you need to decide what type of storage container you want to use. Do you want to store in corrugated boxes, plastic bins, or cloth bags? This question is answered in part by your storage budget. If you have more money to spend, you might want to invest in plastic bins or commercially available heavy-duty storage bags. Also keep in mind that some items should be stored in their original packaging. For example, if your 12 piece porcelain nativity set came in a Styrofoam box that is specially molded to hold each piece, then don’t throw that away! Breakable items will always do better if stored in their original protective packaging. If the original packaging includes a cardboard box, it might be a good idea to then place the cardboard box inside a heavy-duty storage bag or plastic bin to keep moisture out.

Rule 5: Label, label, label

Once you get all your holiday decorations into their respective storage containers, the last and most important step is to label. It is absolutely critical that each storage container be labeled clearly! This will save you an enormous amount of time next year. For example, wouldn’t it be nice to know which box contains your Christmas tree stand so you can get it out first and have it ready when your family brings home the live Christmas tree? Make it easy on yourself by creating large labels for each storage container.

The holidays are already stressful enough! Don’t make it harder on yourself with a disorganized mess of holiday decorations. With a little time and forethought in how you put away your seasonal storage, you’ll make the holiday decorating process easier on yourself for years to come.