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TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR HOME MORE INVITING FOR YOU

Do people truly live in their homes anymore? If you go by how they look inside, you may wonder. So many people today seem to be treating their homes as just a place to sleep, dress, and keep all their stuff. How would it make you feel if you could open your front door and walk into a place that would feel like your own private sanctuary? It isn't difficult to transform your dumping ground into a haven.

SIFT THROUGH THE STUFF
Do you really need all of it? Chances are that the most you need is about a third of what you've accumulated. If you aren't using it right now, isn't the most recent gift from your best friend, or isn't an heirloom, get rid of it. With the stuff you just can't live without, decide whether you're going to display it or store it. Keep in mind that no surface in your home should have more that two of these objects on it - having only one per surface would be better. Whatever you decide not to display should be put into a box that can fit on the shelf in one of your closets. If you have stuff that won't fit there, put it in the basement (if it isn't being used otherwise) or a u-store-it place close to your home. Remember, less is better.

CLEAN IT
How often do you vacuum behind or under furniture that is placed almost against the walls? If you're like me, this kind of cleaning only happens twice a year. However, if you want your home to be more inviting when YOU walk through the door, vacuuming the entire floor surface will help get that old-house smell out. That includes moving the furniture and vacuuming. You might want to think about steam cleaning your carpets as well. And don't forget to clean the windowsills, lamps, lampshades, baseboards, and doors that have trim. Mop those linoleum floors. Put a coat of wax on those wood floors too after you dust them. This kind of cleaning should be done once a month to keep your home looking like the place you want to live in.

PAINT IT
Every once in awhile I watch the TV station, HGTV, to get fresh ideas to use in my home. Right now the trend is to have the walls a medium to dark color. This is something I totally disagree with because these colors just make the rooms look smaller and sometimes depressing. In fact, in my opinion, unless the room is large, the baseboards should be the same color as the walls and a very light color. I usually go for the colors that have the word "white" in the name. I've used such colors like "lemon white", "bluebell white", "lavender

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