Shannon Sells Team Real Estate BlogRecently posted or modified blog posts by tag - easyhttps://www.shannonsellsteam.com/blog/Copyright ShannonSellsTeam.com2020-10-29T05:36:08-07:00tag:shannonsellsteam.com,2012-09-20:2778Reduce Moisture In Your HomeWith storm season here and rising, humidity levels, it is important to keep an eye on moisture levels in your home. Mold growth, pest infestations, and many other issues can arise from too much moisture. If you notice peeling paint, wet stains, mold smells, dark spots, or extra headaches occurring, you may have a moisture issue. Here are some ways to reduce that moisture in your home!
Update Ventilation
Make sure your ventilation system is working properly. You will want to check the rooms of your home that see the most moisture, like your bathroom and kitchen. If you don’t have vent fans in those rooms, you may want to consider installing them.
Invest in Dehumidifiers
If you have crawl space areas or rooms that will not allow for a vent fan, you should consider a dehumidifier. They often work best in areas that are sealed off like basements and attic crawl spaces
Check Your A/C Unit
Air conditioning units are very helpful in removing moisture and humidity alongside their cooling effects.
Install Weatherstripping, Caulking, or Insulation
If you live in a warmer environment with high humidity levels, weatherstripping can be helpful to make your home airtight to keep cool air inside and warm air outside. Caulking is similar to weatherstripping, but is used for surfaces that are constantly in contact with moisture, like showers and sinks. Insulation can help maintain the temperature of your home.
2020-10-29T05:33:00-07:002020-10-29T05:36:08-07:00Shannon Watkinstag:shannonsellsteam.com,2012-09-20:2552Keeping Your Carpet CleanCarpet tends to ignite a love-hate relationship with homeowners. While carpet can add comfort, design, and even a pop of color to space, it can also feel overwhelming to manage something meant to last a decade in your home. Whether you have little feet and paws running around or it is just you, it can still seem like a daunting task to make sure your carpet stays in the best shape possible. No one wants a dirty, smelly carpet and it can instantly ruin a space you once loved. So instead of avoiding the carpeted rooms in your home, take these steps and make sure your carpets and as clean as ever.
1. Choose The Right Carpet
When it comes to carpet, choosing what you need in the space is much more important than choosing what you want. While making sure your carpet matches your goal aesthetic, you are going to want to make sure you are choosing the correct material. If you are putting carpet in a high-traffic room, nylon carpet is your best bet.
2. Always Cut Snags
While carpet snags can seem trivial in the grand scheme of things, it is important to keep an eye out for them and cut them as soon as you notice them. If you neglect to trim snags, they can unravel and lead to further damage. There is no use in worrying about keeping a carpet clean if it is ripped to shreds.
3. Create Protective Measures
If you will naturally have a lot of visitors enjoying your carpet, there are several steps to take to try to minimize the wear and tear done to it. First, consider encouraging all guests to remove their shoes at the door if they don’t already. Another step to take is adding several rugs at entry points to your home so that any additional dirt and debris can get caught by an easily cleaned rug, rather than your carpet.
4. Treat Stains As Soon As They Happen
If you are in the middle of hosting a party or just don’t quite feel like getting up and dealing with a mess, it may seem like a pain but it is key that you remove and treat a stain as soon as it happens. Letting any spill soak will reduce your chances of treatment and removal, and you can end up with a permanent stain.
5. Add Vacuuming To Your Weekly To-Do
If you aren’t already vacuuming at least once a week, start now. Maintenance cleaning is much better for your carpet than waiting until it actually looks dirty. Once you are vacuuming weekly, try upgrading to twice or three times a week. This will do wonders for the life of your carpet.
6. Invest In Professional Cleaning
Either once or twice a year, consider hiring the professionals to come in and deep clean your carpets. Nothing will bring them back to life better than expert dirt and debris removal. 2020-07-23T06:00:00-07:002020-07-22T13:18:30-07:00Shannon Watkinstag:shannonsellsteam.com,2012-09-20:2392Home Bar Essentials If you love to entertain when you have guests over, you may be working on building your home bar. While enjoying time inside doesn’t require a bar, sometimes a happy medium between a full-on wet bar and just a few beverages in the fridge can help elevate the hosting experience. Here are the essentials you need for a great home bar:
1. Bar Fridge
Having a separate bar fridge is a great addition for several reasons. First, you can keep your beverages at the temperature they are meant to be kept at. Beverage refrigerators are best kept 10 degrees warmer than the normal fridge temperature. Another great reason is that you will no longer waste fridge space for beverages. Now, you don’t have to worry about taking food out to put drinks in!
2. Bar Decor
Decide what style you want for your bar space. Whether you want an elegant or pub theme, choose pieces that will tell a story.
3. Plenty of Glassware
When hosting guests at your home bar, it is helpful to have a variety of glassware to suit the types of drinks you may be making. Keep rocks glasses, highball tumblers, and stem glasses - with a few red and white wine glasses on hand. Pint and shot glasses are also great to keep in your bar.
4. Cocktail Shaker & Strainer
If you have a cobbler shaker, there is no need for a strainer, as they are usually built in. If you have a Boston shaker, which can be a little trickier to use, you will need to get a strainer for pouring your drinks.
5. Ice Trays
Unless you have an ice machine, you will need to have ice cube trays. Silicone trays are much easier to get cubes out of and tend to be much sleeker in appearance. Try to find trays with larger compartments so your ice will last longer.
6. Bar Accessories & Tools
Some items you may want to have in your bar for some cocktails include:
mixing spoon, muddler and jigger
Measuring Shot Glass2020-05-07T14:00:00-07:002020-05-07T06:25:15-07:00Shannon Watkinstag:shannonsellsteam.com,2012-09-20:2048Make Laundry Day EasierMAKE LAUNDRY DAY EASIER
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1234/image/Blog_Posts/e685b6f661836d36868cc1f3dbdc21dc.jpg" width="563" height="571" />
Laundry doesn't exactly make the top of the list when it comes to enjoyable chores. Unfortunately, it is one of the chores that we can't really get rid of. Instead of dreading laundry day, try these tips to help you manage your load and make the most of your time. Before you know it, you may even look forward to laundry - or at least be able to enjoy the extra time you'll save!
1. Schedule Laundry-Type Days
Instead of saving one day to do all of your laundry, break up your laundry by type and assign a day to that type. You can have towels on Monday, bedding on Tuesday, and so on.
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1234/image/Blog_Posts/d3cca0da0999543aa9a0bf889bdd71f3.jpg" width="564" height="564" />
2. Learn to Multitask
Laundry can take up a great deal of unnecessary time if not done correctly. Rather than waiting for laundry to finish to do other tasks, use breaks between those other tasks to work on your laundry load. For example, once you’ve put dinner in the oven, start a new load. Once you’ve finished another task and a have a few free minutes, use that time to fold laundry. This way you are multitasking and using your time more efficiently.
3. Carefully Pre-Sort Your Laundry
Pre-sorting your laundry will save you the time that is often wasted digging through your baskets to find what can be washed together. Be sure to carefully pre-sort, so you can avoid ruining any clothing.
4. Service Your Dryer
Cleaning out your lint trap after each cycle will not only reduce a fire risk, but it will also help your dryer run more efficiently.
5. Avoid Machine Issues
Being proactive is much easier than dealing with the consequences of a dryer issue. Instead of having to worry about cleaning melted wax or pen stains out of your dryer, make it a routine to check pockets before every load. It is much easier to take an extra minute to double check than scrub out whatever may stain an entire load of laundry.
6. Get Rid of Wrinkles
Instead of worrying about taking the time to steam your clothing, do so while they’re in the dryer. If you add a few ice cubes into a light load of clothing while your dryer is on the highest heat setting, the ice will melt and produce steam.
7. Declutter Your Closet
While this may not be the first thing you think of when trying to make laundry day easier, decluttering your closet can make a huge difference in how much laundry you will actually need to do overall. Clothing we don't love tends to end up tossed on the floor and washed again and again without ever being worn out of the front door. Get rid of that extra clutter and make your load smaller!2019-11-07T15:00:00-07:002019-11-06T08:55:54-07:00Shannon Watkins