Posts Tagged ‘Home Rental Preparation’

Are you ready to transition your rental home from the old year to the new? Read on for tips on gearing up for a holiday celebration and getting next year off to a clean, new start.

Cold-weather preparations

As you prepare to host family and friends for the holidays, make sure that your rental home is up to the change in weather. Help keep out drafts with weather stripping at exterior doors and windows. Switch ceiling fans to a clockwise rotation so warm air that rises to the ceiling is pulled down for you to enjoy. Also, check out your chimney before you begin to use the fireplace for the season. (You may need assistance from your landlord or rental management company for this.)

Decoration check

Before you get ambitious with your holiday decorations, you’ll want to check in with your landlord to make sure it’s okay to hang garlands and lights, if they are part of your holiday season. Also, find out if there are any concerns about putting out large lawn decorations, in case your neighborhood is restrictive about such things. Once you’ve got the all-clear, have a ball using the space of your rental home, inside and out, to celebrate the holidays just the way you enjoy.

When the celebration’s over

Once house guests have gone and the holiday celebrations have passed away with the old year, it can be hard to find the energy to put everything back in order. Your first step, as with any organizing project, is to put everything back where it belongs. If you don’t already have them, purchase bins to store artificial wreaths, lights and all of your holiday decorations safely away until next year.

Consider buying storage containers for particular items in your decorative arsenal. An ornament organizer, for example, has separate storage spaces for each fragile piece so that you don’t have to worry about whether it will survive for next year’s tree. Wrapping material cases let you store gift paper in one compartment, ribbons and bows in another, and cards in their own special place. And special dishware can go into china keepers to be safely stored until the next feast.

Recycle what you can

To start the new year in the green, try to repurpose as much of the holidays’ byproducts as possible. If you have sections of wrapping paper that survived the gift-giving frenzy, roll them around an empty paper towel spool and fasten with a paper clip to be used next year. Gift bags can also keep on giving. Keep yours in good shape till next year by folding them flat and storing smaller bags inside larger ones. Why not save ribbons and bows, as well?

Removing the tree
Don’t put your holiday greenery in the garbage can! Check your local government Web site, scouting organizations or non-profits for information about ways to recycle your tree. Often, municipal yard waste pick-up is expanded to include trees for a specific period of time. If you can’t get curbside rescue for your drooping tree, check for a post-holiday chipping service, often found at home improvement stores.

There is a lot to do to see out the old year and prepare for the new one in your rental home. Get started now so that you’ll have everything you need to enjoy the holidays fully — and then put them neatly away when they’ve passed!

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