Archives for February 2020

Easy Ways to Hide Your Ugly Cords (Without Hiring an Electrician)by Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

February 27, 2020 Joe Szabo

Nothing disrupts a beautifully styled room quite like a jumbled tangle of cords around the outlet. Those bulky, unsightly plugs immediately draw the eye, distracting from your otherwise polished room. Luckily, we’ve found the solution to chaotic cords (and you’re going to want one for every outlet in your house). Let us introduce you to the Sleek Socket, an electrical outlet cover and extension cord combo that instantly streamlines the look of plugs. And the best part: You don’t need an electrician to install it.

Available on Amazon for less than $25, the Sleek Socket combines a wall-hugging cover with a 3-outlet power strip in one simple, do-it-yourself fix (with no tools required). To install it, attach the cover to the outlet’s top spot like a typical plug and run the cord against the wall, using the included double-sided adhesive strips to secure it in place. Place the power strip in an out-of-sight spot, plug in your appliances and devices, and you’re done! Cluttered cords and plugs are no more, and the low-profile cover blends right into the wall.

This cord management system can also help save space by allowing you to move furniture flush against the wall. The pencil-thin design (which is slimmer than most baseboards) means you no longer have to leave a gap between the back of the sofa and the wall to accommodate the plug-in for your floor lamp. Additionally, the Sleek Socket makes a great safety solution to help baby-proof a room or eliminate tripping hazards.

The socket works on 3-prong, vertical duplex outlets, and it’s available in two cover sizes and two cord lengths. The standard-size cover is compatible with outlet covers measuring 2-3/4 inches wide by 4-1/2 inches long, and the oversized version fits covers up to 3-3/8 inches wide by 5-1/16 inches long. The 3-foot cord length costs $23.95, and the 9-foot one costs $24.95. Order a few and forget cord clutter for good.

While changing an electrical outlet can cost hundreds of dollars, the Sleek Socket offers a budget-friendly, hassle-free alternative. Avery Michaels of Holland Avenue Home used the outlet cover to avoid costly electrical work in her kitchen. “Moving the electrical outlets around my coffee bar to hide the cords would’ve been more trouble than it was worth because it was mainly an aesthetic problem,” Avery says. “I wanted an aesthetic solution without the hassle of changing perfectly functional outlets.” The Sleek Socket, which she installed by herself in about two minutes, achieves that streamlined look she wanted while keeping all her coffee machines plugged in.

Please note that this Scottsdale Real Estate Blog is for informational purposes and not intended to take the place of a licensed Scottsdale Real Estate Agent. The Szabo Group offers first-class real estate services to clients in the Scottsdale Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area in the buying and selling of Luxury homes in Arizona. Award-winning Realtors and Re/MAX top producers and best real estate agent for Luxury Homes in Scottsdale, The Szabo group delivers experience, knowledge, dedication and proven results. Contact Joe Szabo at 480.688.2020, [email protected] or visit www.scottsdalerealestateteam.com to find out more about Scottsdale Homes for Sale and Estates for Sale in Scottsdale and to search the Scottsdale MLS for Scottsdale Home Listings.

Decluttering a Kid’s Room — And Keeping It That Way by Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

February 25, 2020 Joe Szabo

If there’s one room you wish you could lock up and never look at again, it’s probably your kid’s room. (Or maybe your basement, or your laundry room…OK, there are a lot of rooms.) But thanks to toys, books, clothes, and crafts, children’s rooms can feel especially disastrous — especially since a certain little guy or gal never seems to be keen on keeping it tidy.

Is all hope lost? Absolutely not.

Professional organizing coach Maeve Richmond allowed us to be a fly on the wall as she helped entrepreneur and mom Dawn Nadeau organize her 7-year-old daughter Abigail’s room (and the rest of her home, actually). As you’ll see below, Richmond is quite the force, helping Nadeau take the room from cluttered to clean in just a few hours. Obviously, we had to grill her on her tips afterward — and we bet you’ve never tried these strategies before:

1. Involve your kids from the beginning.

“It’s very important to work with them, and not around them,” says Richmond, who chatted with Nadeau’s daughter before they cleared and re-organized her room. “Kids as young as 3 years old really want to participate, and they’re really excited to be involved.” You might think your kid would get too bored or frustrated talking about bedroom storage — but consider it from their point of view: You’re just gabbing about their toys and paying them lots of attention!

Plus, if kids are involved in organizing, they’ll feel ownership over the project and more inclined to keep things tidy — or at the very least, they’ll know where everything should go.

2. Have kids give you a tour of the room before you start decluttering.

“I start not by asking kids to choose what should stay or go, but by giving them a chance to look around and show me what’s there,” says Richmond. “Then I get a sense of their language and tone, which can illuminate things that are important to them.”

“I mirror back people’s language to them while organizing with them — for instance, let’s say a kid calls a piece of clothing his ‘favorite sweater.’ I’ll call it that, too, because it says I recognize that it’s meaningful to them, and proves that I’m on their side.”

Building that trust is important when asking kids to part with items (and now you’ll be able to tell more clearly what things they clearly don’t care about.)

4. Give your kid permission to let go of stuff they really don’t want.

“Volume can be very overwhelming for children,” says Richmond. “But most kids don’t know that it’s OK to say no to stuff they don’t want. I like to try to set up situations in which we’re donating items to charity — it continues the idea of using positive language when it comes to decluttering. We’re giving the item a new home, not just getting rid of it.”

5. Start from the bottom up – literally.

“With little ones especially, it’s just nice to start on the ground — that’s where they are!” says Richmond. Her “bottom up” strategy takes the process down to kids’ level and keeps them grounded in the task. Plus, if they can see where their items’ new homes are, they’ll make a habit of placing them there.

6. Reinforce their routine with cubbies.

“I love cubbies as an organizing tool for kids because it recreates what they’re experiencing at school,” says Richmond. “And you can place them in the entryway or their room, creating a ‘drop zone’ area they’ll naturally maintain. With a cubby they can drop their stuff, and not even have to think about it.”

7. Count to 10.

Here’s an easy fact to remember: Games are fun! So when things get messy (as they always do), make cleaning up feel like play. “Have kids count backward and pick up ten items to put back in their homes at the end of the day,” says Richmond. “It makes the task less onerous, and encourages you talk out loud about where items go, which can reinforce the habit for both of you and your kids — I use this strategy on adults, too, and it totally works. I even do it, too!”

8. Define boundaries with decor.

“Whenever I am working in a child’s room, I always like to bring tables away from walls,” says Richmond. “Parents don’t tend to do this, as it seems like wasted space. But pulling the table away from the wall allows kids to move more freely and fully around it, and welcome friends.”

“I also like to add a rug under the table, though,” she continues. “It visually anchors the room — and their stuff — but creates a mini room within the room. Kids’ rooms tend to just be one big space, which is why they tend to get super busy.” By creating this distinct boundary, it’s easier to identify and honor the activities (like, say, glitter crafts) that should only take place in certain spots.

9. Lead by example.

You were probably waiting for this one right? “Leading by example is huge,” says Richmond. “Kids mirror what their parents are doing. Sometimes you need to look at yourself and really see if your kids are modeling your behavior.” Even something as small as putting away your keys can be a mini-lesson in action.

Not as tidy as you’d prefer to be? Good thing Richmond gave us her secrets for how adults can change their lives and finally get organized, too.

When Should you Replace the Household Items by Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

February 20, 2020 Joe Szabo

To keep you, your home and our planet health, we recommend the following:

Toss Sunscreen After every summer, or with the expiration date. The protective chemicals in sunscreen break down over time, reducing the ability of the product to block out damaging rays from the sun. If you can’t find an expiration date on your bottles, throw them out after pool season has ended.

Toss Opened Old Paint after 2-5 Years. Once the can is opened, the components in paint start to separate and break down. After a few years, this can make the paint difficult to mix, even with the most vigorous stirring. To repaint a room, take the color formula specifications to your local paint, hardware, or big box store and have them mix up a new can of paint to match. When disposing of old paint, be sure to note the type of paint before deciding what to do with it. Oil- and alkyd-base paints are considered hazardous waste and typically need to be taken to a local hazardous waste drop-off site. You can dispose of old latex paint by throwing it in the trash, but you’ll need to dry it out completely first by using a paint hardener, cat litter, or shredded newspaper.

Toss Vitamins after 2 years, or with the expiration date. Like most food items, vitamins degrade in quality over time. Check the packaging for an expiration date. If the vitamins are unused by then (or you can’t find a date), replace them with new ones. To safely dispose of old vitamins and other medications, the FDA recommends dropping them off at a drug take-back location near you.

Three Household Items You Should Have Tossed Long Ago by Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

February 18, 2020 Joe Szabo

Not everything is meant to last forever, and throwing away or recycling past-their-prime items will help declutter your home. Free up storage space for the things you actually use by checking the expiration date on these household items and ditching as needed.

Toss Dish Sponges after a month. Between washing dishes, scrubbing sinks, and wiping down countertops, sponges can come in contact with a lot of bacteria. To avoid spreading germs around your kitchen, it’s important to replace your sponge about once a month. In between changes, be sure to clean your kitchen sponges regularly using a method, such as vinegar, bleach, or high heat, that eliminates bacteria. If your sponge starts to look dirty or smell bad even after it’s been disinfected, you should swap it for a new one immediately.

Toss storage containers every few years, immediately for disposable packaging. Plastic containers, especially those that are meant to be disposable, were not meant to be used forever. Plastic breaks down over time, which can cause chemicals to leach into your food. Check for signs of wear after each use, and toss any containers that appear discolored, warped, or cracked. You should also get rid of any containers that are missing a lid or have an unusual smell. Always dispose of single-use food packagings, such as yogurt containers or margarine tubs, immediately after you’re finished with the product. Before you toss plastic containers in the garbage, check to see if it’s recyclable by looking for the stamped number inside the triangular recycling logo, usually found on the bottom of containers and bottles. Most recycling centers take plastic Nos. 1 and 2—which include many beverage bottles, milk jugs, peanut butter jars, and other containers—but it’s best to check with your community’s program to verify which types of plastic they can accept.

Toss Pillows Every Few Years The material inside pillows breaks down with daily use, and all the dust, oil, and debris from your face can transfer to the pillow’s surface and interior space. Dust mites also accumulate, which can be troublesome to people suffering from asthma or allergies. To get rid of your old pillows, consider donating them (after a good washing) to a local homeless shelter or animal shelter to be repurposed as bedding. However, because not all shelters will accept used pillows, it’s best to call ahead before bringing in your donation.

Decluttering the Master Bedroom by Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

February 13, 2020 Joe Szabo

On this week’s agenda is decluttering tips for the master suite – specifically, the master bedroom.

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Tips on Decluttering your Master Bathroom by Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

February 11, 2020 Joe Szabo

We always find it is amazing how much junk can actually accumulate in the bathrooms. For most, it is usually the beauty and health products that start to add up, but there were a lot of other little things that we can get rid of as well {see below for some ideas!}. So let’s get going – it’s time to take back all of that drawer, countertop, and cupboard space, cabinets and closets and transform your bathrooms into a calm and relaxing space!

As with all decluttering projects, you want to start with a bit of a plan. Create some manageable goals that you can complete in the amount of time that you have available, write them down, and commit to a time to actually do it! Do you have a particularly cluttered cabinet that you need to go through? Maybe your counter space is so filled with products that you don’t have a clear spot to get ready in the morning.

Make-Up – First up, you want to make sure that you get rid of any make-up that is old and expired. You then want to honestly evaluate what you are actually using and get rid of all of those products that you do not need or use. Actually “try on” the colors and shades to make sure that you not only love the color, but that you love the color on you!
Linens – Go through all of your towels. Do you actually need all of the towels that you have? You really only need to keep 2 sets of towels per person in addition to a few extra decorative hand towels. Older towels can be used for cleaning rags or donated to animal shelters.
Beauty Products – While most people do tend to use a lot of different products, most also seem to accumulate a lot of products that they don’t use – gifts that just weren’t something that we would use, products that we don’t like the scent of, and those hotel shampoos and lotions that we always mean to use but never really do. Again, make sure that you are only keeping items that you really love and get rid of the other items that are not your favorites. Donate them to women’s shelters or other organizations before they just go bad sitting in your cupboards! If you have a lot of half-used bottles, see if you can combine them or look for some pretty smaller bottles to use as a display.
Cleaning Supplies – Most people like to keep a supply of basic cleaning products in each bathroom. When they are easily accessible, we can just clean as we go for the most part rather than dragging cleaning supplies from elsewhere in the house. Look to condense your cleaning products as much as possible. Microfiber cloths, a window {polishing} cloth, toilet cleaner, cleaning toothbrush, and a spray bottle with a 50:50 water/vinegar mixture covers my basic daily cleaning needs. We will use some other products when deep cleaning the bathroom, but these are kept with other cleaning supplies outside of the bathroom.
Bathroom Cupboards and Drawers – Empty out those cupboards and drawers completely!! Give them a good wipe down and look at every item that you are going to be putting back in to make sure that it actually belongs in the bathroom and that it is something that you actually use. You can use bins or baskets to store like items together so you {and everyone else in your family} can find them when needed and know where to put them away!
First Aid Supplies – Go through them and see if anything needs to be replenished. Toss any expired items or items that you think that you will no longer use. Note that actual medications are best stored somewhere else other than the bathroom, due to the steam, condensation, and temperature fluctuations that can occur with showers and baths.

Stuck in a decluttering slump by by Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

February 6, 2020 Joe Szabo

We are a few weeks into the Scottsdale Real Estate Team decluttering challenge and its just about time for the post-holiday, sick-of-this, when-will-it end slump. Here are some quick hacks that can help you beat the decluttering blues…

Limit yourself to one small space, in this case, a “junk bowl,” where you can keep those odds and ends that don’t fit anywhere else. What’s in The Nife En L’Air’s junk bowl: “accessories from parties, receipts, business cards, hairpins, Totoro mini plushes from Japan… And it is fine, since this is, after all, a Junk Bowl.” It’s hard to get rid of things. Especially if you purchased with them expectations of loving them, so be prepared to accept getting emotional about decluttering.

We find having a place we can donate old clothing, shoes, and accessories to before we begin decluttering makes a difference. Find a local donation center or charity that you can easily leave lightly used items with. Having an idea in mind where you wish your stuff to go can make things easier.

You can declutter at your own pace. You don’t have to go crazy and do it all in one week or one weekend. Going at your own pace increases the chances you keep it up and develop a good routine.

If you already know why you keep clutter, then you’re more likely to spot it and (possibly) stop yourself the next time you decide to hold onto something past its prime.

Save photos of nostalgic items, rather than the items themselves. Use attractive baskets for quick living room decluttering. Incorporate some practical aspects of Feng Shui decluttering, like opening the windows and dressing comfortably.

Decluttering your Living Room By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team

February 4, 2020 Joe Szabo

There’s a trend in homeownership sweeping the country about decluttering and purging items from your drawers, closets, and corners.

One of the great gathering places for clutter and “nowhere else to put it” or “drop it here for now” rooms is the living room.

Unless its holiday time, this room can become a catchall for everything from mail to clothes to dishes to linens. Here is a simple formula that applies to cabinets, furniture, chests, tables, and storage units.

Take everything out of the space.
Purge like crazy.
Put like items together.
Corral like items.
Label! (optional, and only pertains to certain items)
Refill your space.
Train yourself to put things back in their spot.
Don’t be afraid to change up systems that aren’t working.