Westside Reader April 2016

Colorful throw pillows can add a fresh look to your
home this Spring.
Get your home organized and decluttered by
using proper storage bins.
Ruben Haynes, of Ruben Haynes Interior Design
(rubenhaynesdesign.com), in Valencia, said
Spring is the “perfect time to refresh, renew and
declutter your home.”
Haynes recommends keeping your shelves “open
and clean.”
“Just decorate your shelves with a few books, a couple
of candlesticks, and a picture frame,” he said.
Haynes said turquoise and cobalt blue are currently
popular colors in home decorating.
“Use white with cobalt blue or turquoise for a
fresh, new look,” he said.
Here are some additional Spring tips to declutter
and refresh your home.
Inside Your Home
Here’s a list to help you get started on bringing Spring, and new life,
to your home.
Declutter
1. The first step in the decluttering
process is to make a checklist. Prioritize
the areas of your home you
want to organize. You can make the list
as general or specific as you like. It you
feel good about getting items of your
check list try listing specific projects
(cleaning off the table by the front
door), or if you are a big picture person
you can list entire rooms or areas (Living
room, bathroom, etc.). A checklist
can hold you accountable and also
measure your progress so you don’t
give up halfway through your project.
The first step in the
decluttering process is to
make a checklist.
are making progress.
2. Don’t get distracted. Life is hectic.
Choose a time each day and give yourself
a reasonable time limit from 15 minutes
to 1 hour. Commit to the time. Don’t
do less, you can do more, but you’ll find
yourself more satisfied if you commit to
one project at a time, finish it, and
check it off your list. Some projects
made take more than one day and
that’s okay. If you complete doing
“your time” you will feel satisfied you
3. Fill one trash bag every day. It doesn’t matter if your bag is trash
or items to donate to thrift store. A trash bag represents visible
progress and helps provide a psychological reward.
Celebrate Spring!
Now is the time to refresh, renew
and declutter
by Michele E. Buttelman • features and entertainment editor
4. Sell items you don’t need on eBay, OfferUp, Amazon or a
dozen other apps that have recently been created to help sellers
and buyers connect. As always, make sure you use common sense,
like meeting a prospective buyer at a location away from your home
for small items and making sure you have plenty of company around
if you need to bring a buyer to your house.
5. Use psychological “tricks” to help in the decluttering
process. Find 10 items to give away, 10 items to throw out and 10
items to keep, but store in the proper location. This fun exercise uses
your brainpower, as well as your muscle and keeps the decluttering
project moving forward. Commit to the process every day until you
are finished.
6. Pick a drawer, or a shelf or a general area of your home and
take everything off, or out or away. Before putting anything back
on the self, or back into the drawer, ask, “Do I really, really need this?”
If the answer is “no,” then donate or toss.
7. The Hanger Experiment. This idea has been around for years, but
it still works. Take all the clothes hanging in your closet and turn the
hangers around, backwards. After you wear an item of clothing turn the
hanger to the correct position. After six months you can visibly see what
clothes you never wear and can donate to the thrift store.