Being a shore-home owner is great, it's ocean vistas, salt water, and relaxed living, so of course, there are negatives, also, like seasonally messy areas. Beach equipment, furniture cushions, weathered wood, fishing rods, and inflatable beach rafts all accumulate in the garage and closets. Homeowners have been known to resort to self storage units to catch the overflow.
Instead of renting a second unit or having things pile up, however, smart planning can recapture space, reduce stress, and keep your home in tip-top shape. For families in Ocean City, organizing is not merely a matter of cleanliness but a matter of protecting a house from the unique vulnerability of beach living.
Ninety-nine percent of houses have at least some "clutter hot spots" that accumulate quickly. Beach houses have front porches, mud rooms, and front doors as dropping places for sandy shoes, beach bags, and wet towels. Out-back sheds are where equipment is stashed that's only dragged out once yearly, and bedrooms and closets turn into linens and clothes stores for "just in case" only.
The most effective approach is to do one zone at a time. Clean it all out completely, sort through what you remove, clean the space up nicely, and then replace only the must-haves. What that does is split the process apart into zones so you're not bogged down by how much cleaning out an entire house is in total.
We live large seasonally in beach resort communities like Ocean City, and whatever is in our homes is there as well. It is easier to determine what to keep and what to let go of if you keep one simple rule in mind: if you did not use something last season, maybe it is time to give away, discard, or put it into secure storage.
Winter coats, snow boots, and bedspreads are excess for families who only live in their home during the summer months, such as tattered beach umbrellas and worn-out playground equipment which takes up space in sheds a few months before they are used. Decorative lights for the holidays also need to be checked up on now and then. This mindset prevents a creeping stockpile of clutter from taking over space without contributing much to your life.
More than half of the population believes that they need more room when actually they just need to make greater use of the space that they do have. The greatest trick to accomplishing this is to go vertical. Garage or closet shelves keep the boxes, chairs, and tools out of sight, and wall hooks make hanging beach items such as hats, bags, or towels simple.
Bottom-storage bins or drawers are best used for linens or clothing which are only worn half the year. Even smaller furniture items with hidden storage space, including ottomans or benches, can be used double. Making better use of what you have, your home is less full of clutter and less money is spent purchasing additional storage.
Taking out trash usually uncovers what should not be on the ground. Propane tanks, paint, chemicals, and used paint are all actual hazards if they're not taken away. Your best option is to contact your municipality to obtain future hazardous waste collection dates. Ocean City and Cape May County have drop-off centers periodically when residents can legally get rid of the items for free.
At the same time, containers are to be stored, sealed, and labeled correctly. Dusts, sands, and mildew are washed off surfaces. Shed cleaning and ventilating storage bins prevent mold buildup and reduce insects. Avoidance of improper disposal of household hazardous waste is essential, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says, for safety and to maintain the environment.
It is a lot simpler to get rid of clutter when it is second nature and not a ten-year emergency. Daily cleaning out of closets, sheds, and attics catches clutter before it can accumulate. Some households maintain a small donation bin and leave it in a convenient location; when it's full, they arrange a drop-off or pick-up and make it easy.
One good trick is to place essentials in where they are most easily accessed and reserve the lesser-used items further back in storage. Every time a new season arrives, what you do want is within reach without rummaging through the rest. With these small systems, you are tidy year-round and do not get burned out.
A clean house does more than please the eye. Most home owners report that when they have their area sorted out, they feel more relaxed, lighter, and in control. Having small things accomplished, such as clearing out a closet or tidying up a shed, is satisfying and snowballs in effect. Clutter, however, piles up to increasing tension and stress by reminding one continuously about work not yet done.
Clutter clearing can thus be a crucial part of emotional health. Writers at Cleveland Clinic describe the manner in which fewer items of clutter are directly linked with improved mood and increased alertness, varying according to surroundings and mental illness.
Regardless of the good organizational skills, there are merely some things that simply do not belong within the home. Personal-value items, equipment, or furniture with a doubtful final destination after it's been taken out of the house might be taking up too valuable space. Off-site storage is a great solution here. Climate-controlled storage is particularly key in Ocean City, where salt air and humidity can destroy wood, fabric, and electronics.
The key to it all is selectivity, guarding those items you absolutely can't live without, and not those items you could not at all do without. Labels and seasonal storage provide a speedy and convenient means of accessing them later without introducing an added layer of mess.
Having a dwelling near the seashore involves some environmental stresses. Salt air speeds up metal corrosion, excessive humidity is beneficial to mold, and storms will ruin things left out. Get rid of all of them by cleaning patio furniture regularly, painting or waterproofing with marine-grade paint, and choosing stainless steel or rust-free furniture when available.
Clean out gutters and downspouts so that water runs away from foundations and keeps flooding from heavy rain away. Doors and windows need to be sealed in order to withstand driving rain and high winds. This way, you're extending the life of your property while keeping the value of your belongings intact.
You don't necessarily need to set up an enormous clean sweep every ten years. What you need is small, frequent routines that make your Ocean City home habitable, inviting, and weather-tight. Begin in one or two storage rooms or sheds, adhere to the "one season out" standard, spend a little money on vertical storage, and promise to clean out on a regular basis.
You may still have something left in self storage along the way, but with a good system going, you won't have to. The reward is not just a clean house but a clear mind, a more pleasant piece of property, and the knowledge that your home is actually in control.
