Set Resolutions for your Home in the New Year

10254941_SWhen you consider resolutions for the New Year, how about making some for your home?

Most people have things that they want to fix, change or add to their homes, so you could make 2014 the year that some of those dreams turn into reality. Here are a few examples.

Small maintenance tasks: A dripping faucet, weeds in the yard or even light bulbs that are burned out are easy to ignore but can be a constant irritant. Plan a day to fix those little frustrations that always seem to be postponed. Getting those done will make your home more relaxing.

Safety checks: Have you replaced the batteries in your smoke alarms? Do you have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen? How about a complete first-aid kit? Are some rugs or cords tripping hazards? It won’t take long to make sure your home is as safe as you can make it. You can find tips for keeping your home hazard free on the Internet.

Organization: Don’t feel obliged to get the entire house whipped into shape. Instead focus on a few areas that are particularly challenging. Maybe you empty and sort-out your junk drawer, or get your gardening tools organized in the garage. It could be time to dispose of all of those old cleansers and unsatisfactory cleaning products under the sink that you never use. Every place you make more functional will add to your pleasure in your home.

Special touches: Have you wanted to add scented candles to your guest bathroom? Maybe one wall is begging for some art. Pick out one or two areas that feel unfinished in your home and resolve to add those items that will make it look and feel the way you want.

If you include your home in your resolutions for 2014, your home will see improvement and you will find yourself happier living there.

Organizing your New Home – Recruiting Others

12057397_SYou may have included your family when visiting your Fulton Home during construction, and they may have helped pack and unpack their own rooms, but now that you’ve moved into your new home, how about recruiting them to help you organize it?

You know that they contribute to the disorganization, so your spouse and children can be a terrific resource when figuring out how to create organizational systems that will last.

Start with one space in your home, such as the front or garage entryway. Do these spaces end up as catchalls for shoes, books, purses, keys and other things? If you chose the Fulton Drop Center built-in for your home, bring your family together to assign spaces, drawers and shelves to some of this clutter. You may even want to label some of it.

Could a drawer be assigned to each child to hold homework as well as notes to or from the teacher, and your spouse’s car keys? Would a bench with slots for shoes under it in the hallway help?

The kitchen is another space that begs for group organization. Setting up a breakfast center with various cereals, an area for making lunches with bags and containers, and placing a selection of afternoon snacks in a specific spot might help contain potential messes. Add in a few rules such as everyone bringing their dishes to the sink, rinsing them off and putting them in the dishwasher and you are on your way to a kitchen that keeps itself under control with only minor reminders from you.

Once you move on to coordinating homework, laundry and any other regular organizational challenges, you’re on your way to a more organized home. One final suggestion: provide regular prizes or little treats as a reward for maintaining the organizational system – for you as well as your family.

Organizing your New Home – A Place for Everything…

18055461_SSo, did you envision your new Fulton home as an organized paradise? With all the extra space, closets and storage, maybe you had hopes that you would finally be able to create order.

Well, if that hasn’t happened, don’t blame the house or yourself for that matter. Organizational experts use a selection of tools and tricks to get and stay organized. Here are a few of their ideas to help you reach your goals.

Use the right kind of storage: Is it easy to get things out when you need them and put them away when you’re done? For frequently-used items, make sure they’re one-step away. For example, pens and scissors can be in an open container on a desk or counter rather than in a drawer that has to be opened and closed. Laundry hampers should be open so dirty clothes can just be chucked in without bothering with a lid. The easier the system, the more likely it will work.

17461493_SDuplicate: Do you need scissors regularly in the kitchen and your office? Have two pair so they don’t have to travel back and forth, increasing the likelihood of their disappearance.

Use containers and dividers: Baskets and boxes will hold underwear or socks if you can’t get your children to fold things. Drawers with dividers are more likely to stay tidy. Peg boards and hooks separate different tools without hiding them.

Keep experimenting: If one system doesn’t work, try another and another until you discover what works best for you.

Getting organized is not a one-time effort. It’s a constant, steady plan to head in a better direction. You won’t reach organizational nirvana in a week, or possibly ever. Just work toward a better level of organization over time, and you may be surprised at the results.

Make the Most of your Closets

When people use their closet space, it’s common to focus on the linear space, but to use a closet to its full potential, it’s smart to take advantage of the vertical space also. The simplest approach involves putting in double hanging rods so that you have extra room for shirts, skirts and pants draped on hangers.

Thanks to today’s closet organizing options, you don’t have to limit your thinking. Fulton Homes selected Rubbermaid® options for closet organizing. For some examples, visit the Fulton website or the Fulton Homes Design Center for ideas to make your closets more functional and organized.

One of the smartest places to create space and organization is on a closet floor. Often that ends up as wasted space, or just a place to throw shoes in a heap. Instead you can use that space to set shoes in order, provide a hamper for dirty laundry or add a set of drawers.

The space above your clothing racks can also become more functional through the use of dividers and other organization tools. Rubbermaid® closet options vary with your needs and help your closets look more appealing and hold more without becoming scary disasters. This can be especially helpful with adolescents, who are often not enthusiastic about keeping their closets in shape.

For smaller children, combine drawers and lower shelves and hanging areas set so they can easily reach to hang up and put away their own clothes. You can use the space above their heads for out-of-season clothing or other storage. Also consider adding some hooks to enable the smallest child to hang up sweaters and other clothing easily.

If you take the time to think about what you and your family need in closet storage, your storage spaces will be much more functional. For additional suggestions, talk to your designer at the Fulton Homes Design Center.