Ever wonder how those certain friends or neighbors always manage to keep their homes looking so neat and clutter free, with a place for everything and everything in its place? Maybe they’re lucky enough to have a full-time cleaning and decorating crew on hand. Or, more likely, they simply avoid some of these common organizing and decorating mistakes that can make a home look less tidy than it really is.

Cleaning Instead of Organizing – Designate a spot for everything that comes into your home instead of piling it neatly on the counter, dresser, or floor.

Scattered Collections – Too many knick-knacks, picture frames, and other keepsakes can make a room look cluttered. Pick your favorites, group like items together, and let go of or store the rest.

Stuffed Bookcases and Built-Ins – Avoid the urge to fill every square inch of your free-standing or built-in bookcase. If you have a great collection of books, display the best ones and put the rest away or donate them to a library.

Messy Cords – Banish these eyesores with a cord organizer or safely run the cords of your larger electronics behind the wall with an in-wall power cord and cable kit.

Harsh Lighting – All light bulbs are not created equal. When choosing a lightbulb, pay attention to the brightness and type of light it will cast. Opt for soft, strategically placed lighting solutions not only to mask imperfections, but make your space feel more inviting.

Sofa Clutter – Throw pillows are a great way to add color and texture to a sofa or loveseat, but too many can make it look cluttered. And speaking of sofas, if you have a slip cover, make sure it fits properly. Ill-fitting slip covers look sloppy and messy.

Here’s something else to declutter: your water heater. Combustible items left to close can easily ignite and spell disaster. So please, for the sake of your home and family, follow these common sense safety practices:

Remove paper, dust, and anything else that could ignite from your water heater enclosure.

If you’re planning to use a flammable liquid or bug bomb in that area, first extinguish the pilot light.

If you have your water heater in your garage, raise so the pilot light is at least 18” above the floor.

For more water heater safety tips and help with implementing them, contact Connor Plumbing today.