Ah! It’s everywhere!
Lurking on every countertop, inside drawers, and under the bed, household clutter is everywhere. A recent study shows that 84% of Americans experience intense feelings of stress because their house isn’t organized.
While some of us can feel the stress building with messiness, others of us don’t even notice our houses are messy. Unpacked boxes in the garage and junk drawers just aren’t things we wake up thinking about.
Yet if you want your house to sell, you have to become aware of everywhere clutter is hiding. Knowing how to organize your home, inside and out, is the best way to pass your inspection.
Read on to learn how to get rid of all household clutter, even in the places you never thought to look.
How to Organize Your Home
The harsh reality is that if your house isn’t organized properly, it isn’t ready for inspection. Remember, organizing your home for everyday use is vastly different than getting it in order for an inspection.
When you organize for your daily life, you tend to place things in areas you’ll use them the most. Yet, when you’re organizing to help your house sell, or for an inspection, the focus is on visual appeal, and creating space.
Let’s start by looking at ways you can organize your kitchen area.
1. Organizing Your Kitchen
To save time homeowners typically cover their countertops with the items they need to make their daily lives better. Dish drying racks, toasters, coffee makers, paper towel holders, conveniently live on top of the counters.
Your home inspection is an opportunity for buyers to discover potential problems with your house. Household clutter can cause the inspector to have a bad first impression of you.
Unorganized countertops convey a feeling that the house isn’t being properly cared for. That’s why knowing how to effectively clear your countertops is the first step in organizing your kitchen.
2. Clearing Your Counters
Don’t worry, your counters don’t have to be completely bare, to get the results you need. Instead, focus on removing items that aren’t essential to your daily routine.
If there are food items you don’t need on the counters, put them away. The idea here is to create as much space as possible. The more clutter you leave, the harder it’ll be for the inspector to evaluate your home.
For example, store away any small appliances you don’t use frequently. These could include items such as a blender, fondue pot, or crockpot.
Eye for Detail
Now that your countertops are clear, you can give them a thorough cleaning. Once the counters are squeaky clean, move on to inspect the cupboards and drawers.
3. Self Repairs for Cupboards and Drawers
Avoid home inspection nightmares by looking for easy fixes you can address yourself.
Are there any drawers you have that don’t open properly? Or cupboards that have a problem, such as a loose hinge? Try to repair any small problems with the cupboards and drawers before the inspector arrives.
4. Cleaning Vents and Leaks
Finally, you’ll want to clean the air vent in your kitchen. This is another great way to make a good impression on the inspector.
A clean vent tells the inspector that this homeowner cares about maintaining their home. While they are at your home, the inspector is going to be checking all the vents. In addition to evaluating every vent, they will also be checking for any leaks in your kitchen’s plumbing.
5. Opening Major Access Points
Decluttering and cleaning are only two of the way’s you’ll be organizing your home. Another project you’ll need to complete is the removal of obstacles from major access points.
During the inspection, there are certain places the inspector has to have access to. These major access points include areas such as:
- Electrical box
- Attic
- Furnace
- Water heaters
- Sprinklers
- Basement floor
- Outside perimeter
Make sure the inspector won’t have any difficulty getting close to any of the areas above. If you have boxes in your house, have them stay at least 2 feet from the wall. Looking at the condition of the walls is important, and lets the inspector know if there’s mold or mildew damage.
In addition to making the inside areas accessible, the outside perimeter of the home needs to be as well. Take the time to remove any trash cans, recycling bins, bicycles, or other clutter, that’s resting against the exterior of your home.
6. Saving Time with Storage Bins
Now that your kitchen is clean, and major access points open, you can start preparing the other rooms. Starting with your living room, look around for any items you don’t use regularly. Throw away any unwanted items, and use boxes to store away the ones you use less than twice a month.
If you have a large family, even after removing the clutter, you’ll still have a lot of items left out. That’s why you should invest in a few colorful storage bins, that are for daily use, not long time storage.
Colorful storage bins can be a fun way to decorate your home, while also creating space. Children’s toys, books, and shoes can all go in their appropriate storage spot, instead of taking up room on the floor.
Pre-inspection Repairs
Now you know a lot more about how to organize your home for an inspection. After your done organizing and cleaning, you’ll need to start looking for potential problems. Finding problems on your own means you’ll have the chance to fix them before the inspector comes to your property.
Here at CLASS Home Inspections, we want to set our customers up for success. Check out our latest article to learn 10 helpful home inspection tips for sellers.
Helping you get the value you deserve, is a big part of our mission to provide our customers with top-notch service. Are you ready to have an expert in the industry inspect your house? Don’t wait any longer to work with the best, reach out to us today to schedule your home inspection.