If you are finding holiday gift boxes scattered around your house and the entryway is frustratingly blocked by a giant pile of snow boots, it may be time for the annual spring clean. However, the seemingly insurmountable task of getting the home ready for brighter weather can leave some homeowners paralyzed with indecision. If you are wanting some inspiration on how to start your spring clean, consider any of the advice listed in this helpful checklist.


​1. Declutter the Home Office
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, many people were forced into remote working situations without any kind of infrastructure in place as to how to make this work. This leaves many professionals working in makeshift areas indefinitely as they wait, not-so-patiently, for in-person work to resume.

However, even when life eventually does “return to normal,” the remote work environment wrought by the pandemic will undoubtedly retain a presence in the years to come.

As a result, it is important to have a clean, tidy, and functional home office space in which you can compartmentalize your professional responsibilities from everyday home life. Clutter causes increased stress, as it is a visual reminder of work left undone, which can undermine work performance. The Clutter Remedy: A Guide To Getting Organized For Those Who Love Their Stuff by Marla Stone helps tremendously to get started on your Decluttering project. The Clutter Remedy Book

Therefore, the office is a great place to start your spring cleaning efforts in 2021. Find a different place for that spare dresser with stray socks poking out of the drawers and those board games piled on top. Keep your desk clear of any personal items, such as dishes, cups, none-office stuff, or personal electronic devices not used for work. Make sure the floor is not littered with extra pairs of shoes or children’s toys, ensuring the same professional atmosphere of a regular commercial office space.

2. Sanitize Like Never Before
​
Speaking of the pandemic, people have become well-versed at sanitizing frequently over the past year. And since spring cleaning is the one time of year that most people thoroughly sanitize, anyway, everything should fall right into place, right?

Well, yes and no. While scrubbing the bathtub, wiping down the refrigerator shelves, and deep cleaning the oven should still be at the forefront of your sanitation efforts, spend some extra time on areas that may have been overlooked prior to the pandemic, such as doorknobs, sink faucets, and interior handrails. It may also be a good idea to replace these items to give your home some new accents this spring and get a fresh start going forward.

3. Don’t Ignore the Exterior
Most spring cleaning efforts focus on making the interior of the home more pleasant and livable. However, it can be difficult to get into the mood to get the inside of the home looking pristine when the curb appeal is a wreck. As such, make sure that exterior projects are a part of your spring cleaning routine in 2021.

Basic landscaping projects such as thatching the yard, planting flowers, and trimming tree branches that died over winter are a great place to start. For more ambitious homeowners, replacing a cracked concrete driveway or swapping a dinged and dented garage door with one of the sleek custom garage doors popular today can really take your exterior makeover to the next level and set the tone for a spring clean.

4. Spend Time on Windows and Walls
The vacuum and broom are often the first items brandished when spring cleaning begins. While the floors and carpets undoubtedly need to be cleaned, a surprising amount of dust accumulates on the walls and windows.

Rather than start with the vacuum, a better approach is to start at the top of the wall and work your way down so that you do not have to re-vacuum. Use a damp cloth and gently wipe the walls in a downward motion. For the windows, it is best to use a steam cleaner and squeegee as opposed to a cloth. Be sure to pop out any window screens or magnetic storm windows to get any hard-to-reach areas, and try to avoid using any toxic cleaning products.
Get Started Spring Cleaning Today

The spring clean is an important annual event to get the home ready for nicer weather. However, the tall task of paring down a month’s worth of winter accumulation can make homeowners indecisive. Therefore, consider any of the helpful ideas listed above to make your spring clean a success.

For more on decluttering your home make sure to check out i DEAL LiFESTYLE  for more helpful strategies and advice.

Max Shafer is a contributor to the Innovative Building Materials blog. He is a content writer for the construction and home improvement industries with an interest in landscaping, outdoor remodeling, and interior design. Max is focused on educating homeowners, contractors, and architects on innovative materials and methods of construction that increase property value, improve sustainability, and create a warm and welcoming ambiance.

The best strategies I use as a declutter and staging expert are to depersonalize the home, declutter cabinets, closets, and drawers and use good energy and flow principles for opening up each room for a more inviting and inspiring walkthrough.
Taking out some dated, bulky and shabby furniture and furniture placement is essential for the ease and comfort of the buyer. The home should look like a model home, with pops of bright colors like turquoise, orange, yellow, and lime green throughout the property. These colors will uplift the mood, especially against a neutral background, and they are current and ideal for selling to a contemporary buyer. If the client still has maroon and forest green colors in drapery and fabric, I do my best to get those colors out or hide them under furniture coverings.

Hiding offensive artwork or decor, family photos, or costly artwork, clothing, accessories, or personal hygiene products is recommended. Eliminating ANY clutter from surfaces, floor, furniture, and drawers, cabinets, and closets (because buyers will open them) is mandatory. I like to neatly pack the clutter and personal belongings in clear bins and place them in the garage or guest closets. Some of my biggest pet peeves are shabby or stained rugs, furniture, bedding, knick-knacks galore, dated colors and old-style furniture, and most of all, fake plants.
Getting the garage spic and span is also extremely important. There should be no mess at all, anywhere.
I create space in cabinets and drawers for things the owner regularly uses during showings to put things away easily and quickly before potential buyers come knocking.
Whether virtual or live, the rules are Declutter, Eliminate Bulk of Personal Belongings, and Design the Space, so it mimics a model home.
Also if you can't walk the property when considering a purchase ask about the condition and location of the home. These two questions are the most important factor to know for a buyer. Ask about overhead plane noise, noisy neighbors, street noise, power lines, mold and structural issues and get a floor plan and see if its conducive to your lifestyle. For example is the master bedroom privately located away from the kid’s and guest rooms? Is the kitchen Off the garage? And is there a quiet grassy yard for a pet?

Marla Stone, Lifestyle Organizer, Keynote Speaker & Author of The Clutter Remedy: A Guide To Getting Organized For Those Who Love Their Stuff Read Marla’s book now https://www.amazon.com/Clutter-Remedy-Guide-Getting-Organized/dp/1608686299Cell only: 949-709-7000
Skype ID: ideallifestylenow
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Flat, neutral decor is excellent for slumber, relaxation, and chilling, yet it will not stimulate, excite, nor keep your brain happy.

Whatever neutrals you choose to keep peace and serenity close to your heart, you will also want pops of color, eclectic artwork, mixed with some hand-carved, vintage, and painted furniture.

Splashes of colors in fabric, design and decorative items keeps your space alive and vibrant and it also helps your brain take notice. The more magic and whimsy versus mundane accents, and decor
will keep you uplifted versus downtrodden.

So here's some ideas to keep the fusirform gyrus (the part of your brain that recognizes beauty,) happy.

For bathrooms, include sparkly soap dishes and trash containers, tile floors with patterns, and swirls with a border of sparkly penny tile. Find gorgeous, thick, and sultry towels and mats. Bestow your bathroom with fanciful wallpapers and paintings. Update your faucets and hardware with gold or polished silver.

For bedrooms, take out the mirrors (bad for restful sleep) and add gorgeous and soothing pastel artwork. Hang a crystal chandelier light or fan to make an ordinary room into a Glamorous suite. When space is ample create a sitting area with some cheetah or tiger print pillows for some pizzazz and you'll have somewhere to sit in your new boudoir and sip champagne.

Kitchens are always better with clean countertops whether granite, marble or sparkly quartz, For the countertop to keep whatever you use regularly place some glam mirror, rustic wood, or seashell Trays for everyday kitchen gadgets, oils, or vinegar. It's always a great idea to have a tray, beautiful bowls or specially designed baskets for anything on top of counters. Getting a glitzy backsplash instead of plain white tile or boring painted walls creates a heavenly haven instead of a solemnly wrong and Dull kitchen space.

Creating an entryway that says you have entered a place, you will never want to leave is greatly the most important and essential signature for a home. A statement you'll want to make happen. An entryway that takes one's breath away, as well as a pause, occurs when your met with bold artwork, a fully stocked bar within the entrance area or within view, a place to sit immediately (a distinguished bench, stools or chairs) with velvet or silk texture and cloth and a riveting pattern and color.
Some fun metal art statue pieces of art on the floor, so the visiting eye moves all over exciting the brains of all who enter always makes the beginning journey into your home an adventure that marks the rest of your home’s grand tour.

Living room, great rooms, and dining rooms are always better with bling. So crystal bowls, some colored glass, art sculptures, and local artisan fair finds will create a museum type observancee. Establishing a relaxing neutral, and comfy down-filled furniture setting for the splendor of the room is essential. The fabric on couches, settees, poofs, stools and chairs is better with chenille, satins, silk, and velvet in neutral colors. With neutral furniture you will always have a background that will be easily able to be changed and charged with various splashes of pillows, decor and artwork throughout seasons and all the years spent in your sacred space.

For more information about changing and charging up your space, call 949-709-7000 and ask for Marla. She will give you a free 30-minute in-home consulting session about lightening and brightening your rooms and your mind.

Save your sanity by improving your environment. www.i-deal-lifestyle.com

Is your child a target of bullying?

Many celebrities, Rhianna, Eva Mendes, Justin Timberlake, and Elon Musk, were bully children’s targets. I was also a bullied child. After all, in the years of being a child therapist, I learned Bully's psychology. I realize that bullies are children of neglectful parenting.

Latch-Key kids are not cared for properly, without unconditional love and regard, and so they seek comfort in other neglected children and often “run in packs.” The Latch-Key kids stick together and quickly snuff out the well-cared-for kids. The neglected kids' pick on the well-groomed kids, who have their lunches and go home to parents that teach them about right from wrong.

The downtrodden, unloved bunch of kids or a single bully are filled with apathy which is a combination of feeling unloved and seething with jealousy. Bully kids hide their bullying ways at home and are usually picked on either by the parents and or siblings.

Many adults who report bully victimization as children end up with low self-esteem, yet over time can become hugely successful, confident, and very humanitarian types of people, while bullies generally fall short in life and self-defeated.

Marla Stone, MSW, Life and Space Organizer www.i-deal-lifestyle.com

From San Diego to Boston,and Paris to Pakistan why is Marla Stone the best organizer in the world? Simple, it's her background in mental health, design and feng shui. Her professional organizers skills and team building strategies, plus her comprehensive book on getting organized leaves her leading the pack of so-called organizers that tout the trade. When you want clutter no more, you will come knocking on the door of the organizing expertise of Marla's company http://www.i-deal-lifestyle.com. Learning how to declutter is one thing and living an ideal lifestyle is another. Stone says "the combination of a decluttered life, and a decluttered emotional body is the secret to a most profound living experience."  Is it really about clutter when it comes to your unhappiness or is it the unhappiness creating the clutter? Marla has elevated the understanding of clutter to the point her clients will live clutter-free forever.

Marla loves to work with feng shui principles, bagua space planning, furniture placement, and interior design, along with the simple ideas of the most efficient decluttering strategies she created. Her categorizing and fine-tuned home and business organizational systems have revolutionized the professional organizing industry, and cut industry time standards to finish a project in half.

Stone's feng shui books free download makes organizing more fun and helps you identify what objects are useful, purposeful, loved and sentimental. Marla explains that "objects hold energy and when they are properly placed it creates good versus negative energy."  You may poo poo Feng Shui, yet numerous movie stars and large corporations never go without Feng Shui design when designing their space, and the C-Level positioning within the floor-plan. So for the best free feng shui pdf, we recommend that you check it out.

Stone resides in Orange County, California and travels world-wide helping people strategize and implement better organized living and workplaces. 
She will also put you on a clutter diet when you have over-accumulated in order to live the organized lifestyle you dream about.

Here's the link to learn more about Marla and I-Deal-Lifestyle Inc