Prepare for an enjoyable summer by following these home & safety tips before you begin celebrating. The term ‘safety first’ became popular through the 20th-century movement to reduce workplace hazards and has been used since 1910 in the United States.

The concept of ‘safety first’ has been with us since then. And I think it is a wise way to approach our homes and summer activities.

It is that time for cookouts, bonfires, outdoor activities, and the lazy, hazy days of summer. But before you start enjoying those favorites, start with preparation for the fun ahead!

Home Maintenance

The best place to start our discussion about home & safety tips is with our home maintenance. Summer’s high temperatures and storms can take a toll on our homes. So begin by thoroughly checking your home to determine any overdue maintenance issues.

Some items that you should check around your home include:

1. Security

Burglary rates are higher in the summer. Therefore, taking the time to check that locks, doors, and security systems are functioning properly will be time well spent. 

2. Garage

Clean and declutter your garage. The ability to pull your car into your garage during an expected storm could prevent hail or wind damage to your vehicle.

3. Weatherstripping and caulking

We don’t often consider the advantages of weatherstripping and caulking in the summer. However, checking and making necessary repairs can help prevent bugs from entering the home and keep your home cooler, lowering your cooling expenses. 

4. Sump Pump

If your home has a sump pump, take some time to ensure it is fully functioning. Heavy rain can cause a water backup in your home. A functioning sump pump will remove excess water from the home’s interior and lessen the risk of mold growth.

5. Exterminate 

Seal up any cracks in walls, and find a safe insect repellent to prevent future damage from insects.

6. Home tech

Smart home technologies allow us to use light timers, motion detection lights, smart doorbells, cameras, and other security measures to keep our homes safe from intrusions.

7. Tree and Shrub Maintenance

Trim any overhanging branches to prevent damage to your home. In addition, you should trim large shrubs back to prevent intruders from having a hiding place.

8. Children

Check your home for potential hazards like pesticides, cleaning supplies, electrical wires, etc. Make sure all dangerous chemicals are not within reach. 

9. Safety equipment

Be sure to have a fire extinguisher, first-aid kit, and emergency contact information accessible.

Fire and Grilling Safety

Whether cooking on the grill or enjoying an evening fire, remember there is a danger if not handled properly.

1. Flammable materials 

Keep a clear zone of 10 feet of the grill or fire pit for flammable materials.

2. Supervise

Don’t leave fires or grills unattended. Be sure to extinguish any fire before going in for the night thoroughly.

3. Children and Pets

Keeping children and pets at least 3 feet from the fire is advisable.

Pool Safety

Relaxing poolside is a summertime favorite. However, precautions can prevent accidents in home pools and hot tubs.

1. Swimming Lesson

Teach children how to swim and be comfortable around water. Provide water wings or swim vests to new or insecure swimmers. Supervising children in or near the pool is the best safety measure.

2. Fencing and Gates

Your municipality may have fencing requirements. Even if they do not, installing a gate and fence can protect household members. In addition, consider installing an alarm on the gate or backdoor, so you are alerted when someone opens it.

3. Safety equipment

Keep a floatation device, pole, and first-aid kit available poolside in case of emergencies. Also, consider having sunscreen available to reapply while swimming.

4. CPR Certification

Maintaining CPR knowledge can be beneficial in an emergency. Familiarize yourself with the techniques to help someone who may be drowning or in distress. Here are some tips from the American Red Cross to help.

Personal Safety

Add personal safety to your list of home & safety tips for summer. Take care of yourself and others by paying attention to risks brought on by the summer weather. Understanding how to prevent weather-related harm will ensure an enjoyable summer.

1. Hydration

Drink plenty of fluids. Water is the best choice, but you can also consider sports drinks, tea, coconut water, and fruit juice. Avoid soda, beer, wine, and hard liquor for hydration. If you are under a doctor’s care, ask your doctor for the best practices for your condition.

2. Body Temperature

Air-conditioned areas are best to help maintain a safe body temperature when the temperatures are high. Locate a cooling center in the community if you do not have air conditioning in your home during high heat warnings. Avoid sitting in a car or leaving children or pets in the car. If you have to be outdoors, take breaks from the heat when possible. Use a cool shower or bath to cool down. 

3. Protection

Wear sunscreen, hats with a wide brim, and lightweight, light-colored clothing outdoors. Avoid strenuous or high-energy activity during the high heat of the day.

4. Heat Exhaustion

Familiarize yourself with the signs of heat exhaustion. Muscle pain, cramps, spasms, heavy sweating, paleness, weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea, confusion, rapid pulse, and fainting can all be warning signs.

Weather

Proper weather preparedness is encouraged by the National Weather Service year-round. However, summer weather can turn dangerous quickly and is a big part of our summer home & safety tips.

1. Air quality

Summer air quality can cause a risk to older adults, children, and people with heart or lung disease. Stay inside if possible. Limit the amount of time spent outdoors to essential activities. Limit the use of cars, gas-powered lawn mowers, and other vehicles during this time. Do not burn during an air quality alert.

2. Beach

Waves and currents can be affected by the weather. Before heading to the beach, check weather reports, tide, and conditions. Check the beach area for warnings. Familiarize yourself with the location of life stations on the beach.

3. Drought

Lack of precipitation for an extended period and high heat can cause a drought. Dry conditions can lead to brush fires or wildfires. Comply with all burning restrictions and other directives during this time.

4. Flood

Floods can occur anytime during the year. Learn what to do before, during, and after a flood to increase the chances of survival for you and your family and protect your property. Also, familiarize yourself with what to do if you are driving and hit a flooded road.

5. Heat

Heat is one of the leading weather-related killers in the United States. It is particularly hard on young children, older adults, people with medical conditions, and pregnant women. 

6. Hurricanes

Hurricanes and tropical storms can be devastating. Storm surges, heavy rain, damaging winds, tornadoes, high surf, and rip currents can all result from such a storm. Learn how to protect yourself, your family, and your property before a storm approaches your area. Proper preparation is the key.

7. Severe Thunderstorms

Hail, wind gusts, and lightning can wreak havoc on property and personal safety. Be cautious and take cover.

Having fun in the sun is one of the greatest joys. I hope these home & safety tips help you have a wonderful, safe summer experience.

If you’d like some tips on transforming your outdoor space, check out this past blog post.

Contact me, Charles D’Alessandro, your Brooklyn Real Estate Agent with Fillmore Real Estate. As a Brooklyn real estate agent with over 30 years of experience, I help sellers and buyers achieve their real estate goals. Reach me by phone at (718) 253-9500 ext. 1901 or email at [email protected]

You need to begin to declutter your Brooklyn home before you start to organize it. We have been spending more time at home due to the pandemic. Living and working from home may take a toll on the organization you once had. Often when you are working from home, cleaning and organizing have taken a back seat to get out of the house.

If you find it is time to organize, the first step you need to take is to declutter your Brooklyn home.

Organizing and decluttering serve different purposes. If you begin to organize before you declutter, you merely move your clutter from one spot to another. 

Many clients get serious about decluttering before they are ready to sell their homes. However, once they have gone through the process, many remark that it was freeing, enjoyable, or something they wish they had done sooner!

An organizational system will not help you manage clutter. You accumulate clutter when you hold on to things you don’t need, love, or use. So the simple first step is to go through your belongings and determine what you want to keep. 

Organizers like Marie Kondo and The Home Edit have become so popular they now have highly viewed Netflix shows featuring these organizers in action.

You must decide how to tackle the decluttering process throughout your home. Room by room may make the most sense for you. Here are some thought provokers to declutter your Brooklyn home by room:

Living Room

• Unused decor
• Used candles
• Old games
• Unidentified cords for electronics
• Broken furniture
• Magazines and books

Kitchen

• Expired food and spices
• Old dish towels, sponges, etc.
• Unused utensils
• Broken glass or crockery
• Plastic food storage without lids
• Broken or infrequently used small appliances

Bedrooms

• Unworn clothing and shoes
• Old bedding, pillows, etc.
• Unwanted accessories
• Unused gifts
• Outdated jewelry

Bathrooms

• Old toiletries
• Expired medicine
• Unused makeup
• Tattered/stained towels
• Excess hair products
• Out-of-date sunscreen
• Unused personal appliances

Office

• Old pens/stationery supplies
• Unnecessary paperwork and receipts 
• Unused books/CDs/DVDs
• Unfunctional equipment
• Old electronics
• Unused inks/batteries/cords

Garage

• Unused tools
• Old paints and chemicals
• Unnecessary bikes and sports equipment
• Unused pet items
• Miscellaneous stored items

Outdoors

• Broken or unused yard tools
• Old toys
• Unused planters and pots
• Broken furniture

When you organize without thorough decluttering, you are only temporarily solving your issues. Moving the clutter out of sight is not eliminating it. You are just moving the chaos around and temporarily creating the appearance of organization. In the end, this short-term solution does not fix the problem.

When you don’t declutter first, you waste your time, energy, space, and money. 

After you spend the initial time and energy organizing the clutter, you will inevitably need to spend more time reorganizing when the first system fails to provide the desired results.

When items that need decluttering take up space, where do you put the things you actually use? Freeing storage space will allow better storage options for the items you use in your home.

You can save money when you declutter your Brooklyn home by not repurchasing things you already own because you couldn’t find them. You will also save money on purchasing organizing materials such as baskets, bins, and other organizing staples because you have less to store.

Get Started

Start with one small step if it seems overwhelming. Then, when you feel the pleasure of tackling one drawer or one closet, you will be more likely to keep going.

Tips to declutter your Brooklyn home:

• Start with a small time increment per day to build your momentum.
• Create three categories: Keep, Donate, Sell
• Donate items as soon as possible after each decluttering session.
• If you haven’t worn a clothing item in the past six months, you probably can declutter it.
• Create a checklist of areas to declutter
• Before and after photos will help you see the potential for your entire home.
• A friend may be able to help you discard items if you are struggling.
• Determine if you should relocate an item to another area of your home.
• Follow the one-in-one-out rule by removing one item for every new thing you bring into your home.
• Use clear storage bins to keep you organized.
• If an item needs repair, schedule it. If you don’t have it fixed in 30 days, you can let it go.
• Do not multitask during a decluttering session.
• Look at your home through the eyes of a visitor.
• Understand that you will make a mess before you get organized.

Do yourself a favor and don’t strive for perfection. Judging yourself and your space against others or, heaven forbid, a television show will create unnecessary pressure. Instead, create a space and systems that work for you.

Mental Health Benefits of DeCluttering

When you declutter, the benefits to your mental health include feeling calmer, happier, and more in control. In addition, the absence of clutter and a tidier space can help you feel more mentally relaxed.

Believe it or not, cluttered environments can increase your stress levels. However, most people find they are more productive and improve their mental and physical health by decluttering. 

Benefits of decluttering include:

Lower the risk of asthma and allergies.

Keeping clutter to a minimum reduces the dust, mold, and mildew that triggers asthma and allergies.

Focus is improved.

Clutter can be distracting and make things difficult to find. It is easier to focus on your tasks when you know where to find needed items.

Self-esteem is affected.

Surprisingly, self-esteem can be improved when your living space is organized by restoring feelings of being in control and pride.

Relationships improve.

Conflicts seem to lessen when clutter is under control in your home.

Find the lost treasures.

You may find items on your shopping list or something you haven’t been able to locate for some time in your clutter.

Studies have shown some characteristics of people who find decluttering challenging:

• Time management and follow-through are difficult for them.
• Procrastination tendencies make it hard to get started on a project.
• Easily sidetracked from their task.
• Wanting everything to be perfect deters them from tackling the job.
• Helping others first is more important to them.

Don’t despair; having a clutter issue in your home does not mean you are a hoarder. Only 2.5% of Americans suffer from a hoarding disorder, a diagnosed psychiatric disorder. Hoarders can’t organize or manage their current possessions, yet they collect more.

If you are considering selling your home, this past blog post discusses three tips to get top dollar for your home. Cleaning and decluttering is one of those tips!

Contact me, Charles D’Alessandro, your Brooklyn Real Estate Agent with Fillmore Real Estate. As a Brooklyn real estate agent with over 30 years of experience, I help sellers declutter and prepare their homes for sale. Reach me by phone at (718) 253-9500 ext. 1901 or email at [email protected]