Do you have too much “stuff”? If so, it’s time to take a look around your house and grounds and locate items that you’ve accumulated over the years that you no longer need or use.
Unless you enjoy a minimalistic existence, most of us have items in drawers, closets, basements, sheds or garages that haven’t seen the light of day for years.
Do you have clothes that you know you’ll never wear again but they’re still hanging in your closet? What about those framed prints that you bought when you went on vacation four years ago and they’re still leaning against a wall or out of sight in a closet with the original cardboard protective corners on them? How many flower vases, mismatched sets of china and decades old toys and bric-a-brac are packed away in boxes?
You probably also have at least one non-working lawnmower, air conditioner, rusted out snow blower, computer hard drive, old desk, lawn chair or television set.
Start by making two lists. One list will be for items that are in usable condition and the other will be for those items that need to be hauled away.
There are several ways in which you can dispose of the good quality items. You could advertise on Craigslist and hold a yard sale by yourself or ask your neighbors if they’d like to to participate in a neighborhood yard sale. Or you could rent a table at a local flea market if you wanted to transport all of the items in your car. Another option would be to donate the items to a charitable organization. Many of these organizations will come to your home and pick up the items and you will also receive a tax deduction.
The best way to get rid of the non-useable items would be to call a junk removal company, such as 1-800-GOT-JUNK?
Now that you have less clutter in your house, in order to protect your remaining possessions, it’s important that your smoke/Co2 detectors are working properly. Check the manufactured date on the back of the detectors. You want to make sure that any battery operated smoke/Co2 detectors are less than five years old and any hard-wired smoke/photoelectric detectors are less then ten years old, as their effectiveness diminishes over time. Test the detectors every month and make sure to replace the batteries every year. Moisture, humidity, heat and cold can shorten a battery’s life, regardless of the expiration date.
For all your electrical needs, call WattsControl, Inc. at 508-358-7058 or visit our website at wattscontrol.com.