Articles Tagged "Clean Your Home"

People often say that the kitchen is the heart of the home. But the pantry is a close contender! As the place where you store your snacks and cooking ingredients, your pantry deserves to be an organized, efficient space. You'll love being able to open the door and find what you need in an instant without having to search multiple shelves. So, how do you go about organizing a pantry? Our real estate agents have broken this task down into seven steps, which are presented below.

1. Sort Through Everything
   Before you start putting items into place, pull everything out of your pantry. Sort through your items, throwing away products that have expired. If there are foods you know that you'll never use, donate them or give them to friends.
   
   With the extras gone, make a list of the products that remain. If there are items you use regularly but don't have on hand right now, make a trip to the store to purchase them. Then, add them to your list.
   
   
2. Categorize Your Items
   Look down your list, and start dividing your items into categories. Good categories to include are spices and seasonings, pasta and dried goods, canned goods, baking ingredients, and sauces. Once you've categorized your list, move your actual items into piles based on how you categorized them on paper.
   
   
3. Transfer Open Items Into Clear Containers
   It's hard to maintain an organized pantry with a bunch of half-empty bags and boxes. Plus, opened boxes attract pests. So, invest in some clear containers and empty those boxes and bags into them.
   
   There are lots of good brands that make clear, plastic, and glass pantry containers. Pick containers that are stackable and easy for you to open.
   
   
4. Label Your Containers
   Even if you can see into the clear containers, labels make things more clear. You'll also have an easier time figuring out what you need to buy to fill empty containers. If you have a label maker or can borrow one from a friend, that's awesome. Otherwise, you can make your own labels by writing, with markers, on white stickers.
   
   
5. Line Your Shelves
   Before you put your containers back into the pantry, use a stick-on shelf liner to line your shelves. Our agents have seen this in some Bradenton homes for sale and Sarasota homes for sale, and it really does make pantries easy to clean. Choose a cute pattern or a solid color that matches your pantry walls. The shelf liner should come with application instructions on the package.
   
   
6. Organize Your Shelves
   Decide on a shelf for each category of items. You'll want to put items you use more often on shelves close to eye level. Those that you use less often can go further down where you have to bend to reach them. For example, if you only bake a few times a year, your baking items can likely go on the bottom shelf.
   
   
7. Add a Few Extras
   Once all your food is back in the pantry, it is time to add a few extras to help keep the space more organized. Consider mounting a marker board on the pantry door. You can use this to keep track of your shopping list. Find a bag holder to mount to the pantry door, too. This will give you somewhere convenient to stick plastic bags when you get home. Add any other extras you think may come in handy, too.

If you spend the weekend organizing your pantry, you'll save so much time when you cook and snack later on. Contact us if you're still looking for the perfect home — and pantry — to call your own.

First impressions are everything. This is as true in the world of real estate as in any other. When a potential buyer first walks into a home, the first things they see (and smell) play a huge role in determining their interest. If your home makes a great first impression, you'll have an easier time making a sale — and you'll probably get higher offers, too. After years of experience, our real estate agents know this to be true!

One of the ways you can improve your home's first impression is by steam cleaning the carpets prior to your first showing or open house. Why is steam cleaning so important? Take a look.

• Steam Cleaning Removes Trapped Odors
  Your home doesn't smell, right? We'll let you in on a little secret: you wouldn't necessarily know if it did. Homeowners become nose-blind to odors over time, but newcomers definitely notice those smells. When buyers look at Sarasota homes for sale, they want them to smell nice.
  
  Carpets have a bad habit of holding onto smells, and simple vacuuming doesn't do much to remove them. Steam cleaning, on the other hand, will remove trapped odors, including any you've become nose-blind to. Potential buyers will then be greeted by a fresh scent.
  
  
• Steam Cleaning Removes Evidence of Pets
  Even if potential buyers own pets themselves, they don't want to see evidence of pets in a home they're thinking of buying. Buyers looking at Bradenton homes for sale want those spaces to look fresh and new. Even a little pet hair or one tiny stain can turn a buyer off. Steam cleaning removes evidence of pets from your carpet, reassuring buyers that your place is clean and well cared for.
  
  
• Steam Cleaning is More Affordable Than Replacing the Carpet
  If your carpet looks a little discolored and dull, you may be thinking of replacing it before you sell. Sometimes, this might be a good idea. However, since carpet replacement can be costly, it's often wise to try steam cleaning first. 
  
  Steam cleaning costs a small fraction of what you'd pay to replace the existing carpet. In many cases, it will make your carpet look as good as new.
  
  
• Steam Cleaning Ensures a Good-Looking Backdrop
  When you're preparing to sell your home, you can cover up minor faults like a divot in the wall or some scratches on the baseboard. But the carpet is a big element. It serves as the backdrop of your room, in a way. If the carpet does not look clean, that's something that buyers will notice.
  
  Steam cleaning ensures this major element of your decor looks its best. When the carpet is clean, buyers generally assume the rest of the home is clean, too.
  
  
• Steam Cleaning Removes Allergens
  The last thing you'd want is for a buyer to walk into your home and start sneezing. While vacuuming does pick up some allergens, it also tends to disperse those allergens into the air. Steam cleaning does a more thorough job of removing pollen, pet dander, dust mites, and other allergens from the carpet. A home with carpets that have recently been steam cleaned is less likely to cause symptoms for allergy sufferers.

Preparing your home for a showing can go a long way toward helping you find the perfect buyer. If you're thinking about selling and are looking for an agent to represent you, feel free to contact us. Our experienced real estate agents can guide you through both the buying and the selling processes and ensure everything goes smoothly.

Living in Southwest Florida means warm sunshine, cool evening breezes, and lots of fresh air. If you're looking for Sarasota homes for sale or Bradenton homes for sale, you hope to find a home with large windows, sliding glass doors, and great outdoor features so you can enjoy everything a Florida lifestyle has to offer.

When warm sunshine starts filtering through your windows, it's time to shake off the winter dust and tackle some deep cleaning chores in your home, including all those dirty windows that you've ignored during the winter. Before spring arrives, our real estate agents recommend some deep cleaning tips for your windows, so you can open them up, let in the breeze, and enjoy the view.

Take a Look at Your Windows

Before you begin, walk around your home and assess your cleaning tasks. You may have hard-to-reach windows that require a ladder or special equipment to get onto the roof. Don't attempt to clean windows, doors, or skylights that may result in a dangerous fall. For hard-to-reach windows, it's best to call a professional window washer who has the right equipment for the job.

If your home has a second story or multiple levels, start cleaning on the highest level and work your way down. This way, you can make sure that all windows get cleaned in an organized manner, and you won't have to backtrack to check for windows you missed.

Gather Your Cleaning Supplies

Whether you have stationary windows or windows that open, you'll need some basic cleaning supplies and a container to carry them around. Look for a plastic tote or sturdy basket with handles that can hold your essential supplies:

• A spray glass cleaner, a mixture of mild soapy water, and a mixture of water and white vinegar

• A squeegee

• A duster and a hand-held vacuum

• A synthetic brush or broom

• Microfiber or lint-free soft cloths

• Paper towels

Stationary Windows

For stationary windows, start by wiping loose dirt from the glass with a soft, dry cloth or duster. Next, use your synthetic brush or hand-held vacuum to remove dirt and debris from the window frame, sills, and tracks. Apply your cleaning solution to the glass, then remove the solution with a squeegee or clean, lint-free cloth. If you use a squeegee, make sure to wipe the squeegee clean with a cloth or paper towel after each swipe on the glass.

Single or Double Hung Windows

Many replacement windows available in today's market come with a convenient tilt-wash or tilt-sash feature that allows you to easily clean the inside and the outside of the window from inside your home. You don't need to go outside and climb a ladder to clean exterior glass. If your single-hung or double-hung windows have a tilt-sash feature, simply unlock the window, release the tilt-sash mechanisms on the top of the window frame, and tilt your window towards you to clean the glass.

Sliding Glass Doors

If you have interior or exterior doors with window panes or sliding glass doors, you can clean the glass with non-abrasive glass cleaners or mild soapy water. You can use a soft cloth on the interior glass, but it's best to clean the exterior glass with paper towels. Exterior glass can get extremely dirty since it's exposed to the elements. You don't want to ruin your cleaning clothes or transfer bacteria from your exterior glass to other indoor surfaces.

If you're thinking about buying a home in Southwest Florida, contact us to view available properties in desired areas that match your lifestyle and financial needs.

If it feels like your home is overrun with stuff or that it never really looks neat and tidy, it's time to add decluttering to your to-do list. Decluttering will make it easier for you to dust and scrub your space, and it'll give your home a more polished appearance. Homes with less stuff in them will also look their best when listed with other Bradenton homes for sale. 

While decluttering is often a difficult, time-consuming task under the best circumstances, decluttering with children adds an extra layer of stress. Check out these tips to make decluttering with kids as effortless as possible.

1. Involve Your Kids in the Decluttering Process
   Ask your children to assist you with decluttering. Not only does this set a positive example for children (and demonstrate that it's okay to get rid of items you used to love), but it will provide you with their input about what items they still play with or what things they no longer use. 

2. Do a Little Bit of Decluttering Each Day
   Life with kids is busy, and children are notorious for having limited attention spans. Instead of trying to tackle one room in a single day, give yourself permission to break the task up into smaller chunks. With regular work, your home will be ready to join the list of Sarasota homes for sale. Make a commitment to spend a certain amount of time (even if it's only 5 or 10 minutes) decluttering your home.

3. Feel Free to Do a Little Decluttering on Your Own
   This tip might seem contradictory, but you should also carve out a little kid-free decluttering time. This will give you a chance to throw away broken or worn out items that your kids might insist on keeping. You can also thin out old art and schoolwork without risking hurting your child's feelings. 

4. Give Every Item a Home
   Once you've decluttered a space, you need to make sure that every remaining item has a home. Ideally, items should be housed with other like items (books with books, craft supplies with craft supplies, building blocks with other building toys). This will make it easier for your children to clean up their messes and keep the space looking its best. Make sure that your children know what goes where in your home. You can accomplish this with labels, or if your child is too young to read, use pictures to show them what belongs in a specific space. 

5. Make Sure the Decluttering is Suitable for Your Lifestyle
   When you're organizing, check that that the organization method is suitable for your family's lifestyle. For example, some families may prefer to organize a closet by type and color of clothing. However, this might not be sufficient for other households. Be sure to ask your child their preferences for organizing and let them have a say in the matter. 

Does your household need more space? Our real estate agents can help! Contact us today. 

Our real estate agents at Wagner Realty stand by you every step of the way during your home buying journey. That includes move-in day!

Buying a home is an exciting time, but there's one part that gives people pause: Hauling their "stuff" to their brand new home.

With the popularity of things like the "KonMari Method" helping people to declutter their lives, more people are taking a close look at the things they own. Moving is an excellent opportunity for you to get rid of things you no longer need. That's much easier than finding new places to put them!

It's often a relief to start over in a new home. But how can you do it the right way?

Here's how to purge before you pack – and cut out stress for your moving day.

• Start With Your Closet
  A closet is one place where it's easy to gather things you might never use again. Still, you don't want to get rid of items you really have an attachment to. As you go through the closet, ask yourself these questions about each piece of clothing:
• Have you worn it at all in the last 12 months?
• Is it in style or may come back soon?
• Does it fit the way you want it to?
• Does it have any stains or serious damage?
• Donate or Sell Miscellaneous Items
  Furniture, kitchen items, and miscellaneous decorative objects tend to accumulate in unused corners of our lives. Before determining what to do with larger belongings, you should check the floor plan of your new home. Consider downloading a free app, like RoomSketcher, to determine the layout of your new home.
  
  If you aren't sure about which items of furniture you want to keep, a self-storage unit is a good temporary solution that offers both security and climate control for sensitive items. However, it's important not to use a storage unit as an excuse for not purging - if it becomes an intimidating chore, you may end up paying for many months of unnecessary storage.
  
  If you need to dispose of things, check with local charities to find out what they will and won't accept. Sell large, pricey furniture items through consignment shops. While smaller goods can be sold online, a neighborhood yard sale is often the most convenient choice.
• Remove Appliances and Electronics
  Outdated and broken electronics generally aren't accepted for donation, so you'll need to get rid of them. Five years is the usual cutoff point for small and mid-sized items, while large items are no longer accepted at ten years. Remember that items with batteries and certain components may be hazardous. You may need to have these hauled away or leave them out on a special pickup day.
• Get Rid of Hazardous Items
  Electronics aren't the only household goods that can pose a safety risk. Paint, propane, firearms, kerosene, fire extinguishers, fireworks, and pool chemicals need to be disposed of with care. Many counties have a specific hazardous waste drop-off site that you can use throughout the year to ensure these items will be kept safe. Don't be tempted to leave them in your garage.
• Empty the Fridge and Pantry
  Last but not least, it's vital to get rid of any food you won't be eating or giving away before moving day. Non-perishable items that haven't been opened can usually be donated to any local food bank or canned food drive. Be sure to eat your frozen foods and open packages before you move so they don't go to waste.

By being proactive and following these tips, you'll be ready to make a smooth move once you get to closing day. If you haven't found your dream home yet, contact Wagner Realty for expert real estate advice.

With 2019 just around the corner, it's time to start looking at resolutions for the new year.  While many of us like to put our New Year's focus on our health, wellness, and families – all important things – many homeowners neglect the fact that the New Year is the perfect time to make some New Year's resolutions for your home.  

Below, our real estate agents outlined five easy New Year's resolutions for your Bradenton home:

1. Do a Deep Clean
   Probably the last thing you're thinking about after a late night on New Year's Eve is deep cleaning your home, but it should be something on your docket for the first few days of the New Year. 
   
   Over the course of the annum, our homes get dirty – downright filthy, really – no matter how much attention you give to housekeeping throughout the year. Deep clean your kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry areas as a start. These places see the most use, most abuse, and most accumulation of grime.
   
   
2. Seal The Gaps
   Worn weather stripping, windows that don't close all the way, and gaps in exterior walls, thresholds, and doorways can cause some major efficiency issues as well as plenty of other problems with pests, moisture, and draftiness. 
   
   As we approach the coldest winter months and cold winds bear down on our homes, we tend to notice an unsealed home far more than we would in the warmer summer months, so take the time now to prevent a drafty house in increase your homes heating and cooling efficiency
   
   
3. Replace Filters
   Speaking of heating and cooling efficiency, you're not doing yourself any favors by letting a dirty air filter clog up your HVAC system. Replace or clean your air filter as part of your home resolutions. 
   
   A clean air filter means more airflow across your furnace's heat exchanger and evaporator coil, less stress on your blower motor and air conditioner, and less likelihood of breakdowns down the road. Use a quality, pleated air filter and replace monthly no matter what the manufacturer's packaging says.
   
   
4. Touch Up Paint
   While seemingly insignificant, touching up paint can give your home a whole new glow for 2019. Over the year, we knick and knack, slam and scuff, and generally make a mess of our walls, doorways, and trim no matter how careful we are.  
   
   With that said, take some time to touch up those scuffs, fill any old picture holes with caulk, and make those touch-ups. For most homeowners, this is a simple task that shouldn't require much time or covering up – a perfect New Year's task.
   
   
5. Make Remodel Plans
   One thing that we all fail to think about until it actually happens is remodeling. If 2019 is the year you choose to make some changes to your home, then take some time between your other tasks to map out exactly how you're going to go about doing so.
   
   Budgeting is crucial, so sit down with your family and discuss ways you can put away money for needed changes, sell some old clothes or possessions, and generally make a battle plan for your goals for the year.

Buy a Home in Bradenton

Maybe you're still looking for a home and have put your New Year's focus on purchasing Bradenton homes for sale. You've come to the right place! We have a full inventory of homes and can help you find the right one. Make a new home part of your New Year's resolution and contact Wagner Realty today to find the perfect home for you and your family.