Maybe you’ve grown just sick enough of that 1970s avocado-green kitchen to update it to something more sleek and modern. Or perhaps it’s as simple as remodeling a bathroom. Whatever the room, home renovations can test even the most patient personality through the sheer chaos and mess that are inevitable.
To get through your renovation, organizing the clutter is key. The following tips should help you stay on top of the disorder.
• Have files for everything. Paperwork should be kept in one place because it will pile up. Inexpensive file folders that are portable can help you stay structured. Create a file for all receipts, and as you post them to a budget, move them to another file labeled “posted.” Permits and papers from the city or homeowner’s association should be kept together in another folder in order to easily put your fingers on them. Just for fun, make a folder of design ideas and pictures from magazines to keep you inspired.
• Cover it up. One word: plastic. No, not credit cards. Use it to cover all heavy furniture that must stay in the room. This will prevent dust and debris from getting into the nooks and crannies and keep the finish on the furniture looking shiny.
• Keep a list. Supplies are going to run low, and no matter how good your memory, things are going to fall through the cracks if you don’t write them down. Hanging a clipboard on a nail in the area where you are working will help you to stay on point about people you need to call, or things you need to do or buy for the next day.
• Have a place for everything. If you’re doing the remodel yourself, there is going to be a certain amount of upheaval. One thing that will help reduce your stress level is keeping your tools in one place. Create a space such as a table, where all small tools are kept The larger tools can sit on the floor underneath. Also, every time you are finished with a tool, put it back in the appropriate spot.
• Contain your stress. If cigarettes or smokeless tobacco helps your stress level, try your best to keep things clean by going outside to smoke or by carrying a portable spittoon. After all, you don’t want a fresh burn mark or stain from a spill to end up on your brand-new floors. FLASR has created a unique, one-of-a-kind pocket-sized spittoon (FLASR Portable Spittoon (3 Pack)
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