Make Your Home User-Friendly

Ever visited a cluttered apartment where you hardly know where to sit or stand and have trouble getting around? Perhaps the apartment is yours. Not only is that type of environment unattractive, it is unhealthy. So get started and make your home user- friendly so that you avoid health problems and that look from visitors that lets you know they won’t want to come back a second time.

• Small furniture works better than large, dark pieces. Open up spaces so that a few chairs in a cozy, organized way can make an area look inviting.
• Take papers off the coffee table and put them in an organized rack beside an easy chair. There are small racks that can literally tuck up close to the chair and are inconspicuous as well.
• Remove heavy drapes that hide the light. Some people think that drapes make a home sophisticated, when in fact they often darken a room and make it look crowded and dingy.
• Stacking trays can organize papers and keep a desk from clutter. They also provide an easy way to put things together that can be used in some type of order.
• Don’t put throw rugs on the floor. They add to the risks of falling and again make an area look cluttered.
• Use light colored pillows, sheers and plants to dress up a place and add to the health factor as well. Plants absorb indoor pollutants and light pillows and sheers allow a place to “breathe.”
• Add a coat rack in the corner and a large pottery vase in another for umbrellas, walking sticks, and items with long handles. This keeps clothes from landing on a couch and allows things that are needed for going in and out quickly to be near the door.
• Less is more. Often folks have too many objects on display when a few, well-chosen pieces will work. One or two family pictures are enough, not the entire array from last year’s vacation or every member of the family who might drop in for a visit. Keep personal pictures for bedrooms and hallways, nicely arranged and evenly spaced.
• Open windows, even for a few minutes on chilly days. Heating and air conditioning may be needed for extended periods of time, but opening a window or a door during the day, even if occasionally, allows fresh air and the pollutants from the inside air to dissipate a bit.
• Put baking soda in an attractive container open at the top. The baking soda will help to absorb stale odors that may collect during the day.

Nothing helps lift a mood and bring people back then a well lit, nicely organized, clean-smelling environment, but still lived-in-looking home. It makes the visitor comfortable and the homeowner feel secure and adds to physical comfort. Some of these tips may seem common sense to many, but few people take the time to put them all to use. A few easy changes can make a great difference in making a home user-friendly and make everyone feel good, including the resident of the home.