Murphy's Law

For the past year Murphy has been hanging around a lot, enforcing his known, as well as unknown laws on a day-to-day basis with no rhyme or reason.

According to O’Toole’s Commentary, Murphy was an Optimist.

I’ve always wondered why Murphy’s Laws have had so much weight since the beginning of time.

Well, it is written… and on the eighth day God said, “Okay, Murphy, you’re in charge!”

Roll With It

Cleaning Tips and Tricks

To clean your home is to free it from dirt, pollutants and other elements. Not only that, but cleaning can also translate into organization and proper storage of your possessions and eliminate your home's clutter. Either way you look at it, cleaning is an important task and, although not the most fun, it can be simplified with a few tips, tricks and a little know how.

Roll With It

When storing clothes, roll them instead of folding. This not only prevents fold lines, but also results in your clothing taking up less space. What does this mean for you? Quite simply, you can maximize your storage space and still keep your clothes free of creases.

Stain Removal

If you want to remove stains from countertops, appliances, flooring or other surfaces, consider using baking soda or a vinegar/water combination. Either one of these is less harsh than typical cleaning products and still provides a quick fix for most of your stain removal needs. You may also consider anti-bacterial liquid soap and water for cleaning some surfaces. It's important to note that you should never submerge any electrical appliance into water. Instead, spot clean it with a cloth.

Categorize and Organize

Before starting to clean, create categories for your clutter. By separating your items by intent, such as keep, donate and discard, you will be able to move through your cleanup quickly and efficiently.

Getting Rid Of Dust

When you clean, you are likely to stir up a little dust here and there. Regardless of how much or how often you clean, dust is a part of life and it's bound to find its way into a few corners. If you want to reduce the presence of dust in your home, try using a portable air cleaner in the room where you are cleaning.

Definition of Clutter...

In my last “Homeowner's Tips” blog, I defined clutter as anything that is out of place, broken, unused, or just something you really dislike. By the way, if you would like to review any of these helpful hints you can find them on my Web site at www.utahrealestate-online.com. Today we are going to start in one small place (a closet or junk drawer will do nicely) and put things in order!

First, you will need four cardboard boxes and a large trash can. Label the boxes as follows:
• Put Away


• Fix


• Set Free


• Mementos

Set an alarm clock to go off in one to two hours. You don't want to overdo things! Open the closet or junk drawer and select the first object. Now we will use the four definitions of clutter to help us decide what goes in the trash can or which box to use for each item.
• The trash can. You will find plenty of stuff that is absolutely unusable. Be ruthless.

• The “Put Away” box. Anything goes in here that is out of place and would be better off in a more convenient location. As soon as the alarm clock goes off you will take ten minutes or so to put all the items in this box where they really belong.

• The “Fix” box. If the item is damaged or missing a part, but you are certain you would use it regularly if repaired, put it in this box. Objects can only reside in the fix box for one week before they have to change residence! If you do not repair the item by week's end it must go into the “Set Free” box.

• The “Set Free” box. This box will hold items that you dislike, things you haven't used in more than a year, orphaned gifts from friends and family (when you said, “Oh, you really shouldn't have!”), things that still have some good use in them, things that will surely fit again “someday.” This box will go in the trunk of the car. You will take the box to a local resale store or to a charity center. Many charities will even pick up this stuff at your front door-what convenience! You will be doing a good thing, since someone will be getting some good out of these items right now.

• The “Mementos” box. This one can be a bit tricky. It's for things that have true sentimental or family heirloom value. You will want to invest in a cedar chest or other similar sized permanent storage unit. The items from this box will go into that permanent storage. But remember, that cedar heirloom chest will fill up rapidly if you are too casual about “what's an heirloom.” Consider passing on some of these things to extended family members right now-don't wait 20 years!
Now you are one closet closer to having a serene, uncluttered home! Next week take this same process and tackle another corner of the house!

Simple Survey 101

Don't you just love all the heavy statistical data and surveys that analyst compile for any and all situations imaginable; Real estate, housing trends, job loss, foreclosures, short sales, unemployment, stock market, wall street, weather, interest rates, births, deaths, world population, to name a few? Here is a simple statistical survey from survey class 101...


The latest survey shows that 3 out of 4 people make up 75% of the world's population!

De-bug Your Own Mind

The first step in winning the Clutter Wars is to de-bug your own mind!  Most of us don't recognize clutter when it falls out of the closet onto our heads, so how in the world will we conquer it?  Let's start by defining what clutter is.  Clutter is anything in your home:

·    That is out of place

·    That is broken

·    That you have not used or worn in more than a year

·    That you dislike

Now don't panic.  I won't be telling you to throw away everything that falls within the above definition of clutter.  BUT once you get a clear picture in your head of what constitutes clutter you will be better able to deal with it!  In my next De-Clutter article, we still start in one small place to give you some practice in sorting through all that clutter.