Apartment Guide's Helpful Tips & Giveaway Winner

Now that the holidays are over, I know a lot of us are anxious to get our homes back in order.  I must confess that our Christmas tree is still up, ornaments and all, as I’m never one to rush to take it down due to a mix of enjoying how it looks/smells and dreading the work to take down all of the holiday décor and put ornaments away.  But once the tree does go down, I always admire how my house looks less cluttered and bigger, plus I get to play around with new ways to decorate as I put my usual decorations back up.  I’ll be posting about this soon (you know, once that tree actually comes down), but in the meanwhile I wanted to bring you some helpful home decorating tips from our friends at Apartment Guide.

You probably know about Apartment Guide as a great source to find a new place to rent (they have photos, floor plans, and lots of moving tips), but over on Moving Today they have articles and resources not only if you’re moving but if you’re already moved in and looking to spruce up your place.  And nothing could be more timely than their article about cleaning up after the holidays.  They offer helpful tips like:

-Say Goodbye: Don’t get overly sentimental and keep decorations up too long (*cough*cough* I don’t know anyone like that *cough*cough*).
-Organize: Take time to pack decorations away nicely so they’re stored safely and easy to find next year.
-Re-Gift the Wrapping: Organize used gift boxes and bows to re-use later (I like to this one too).
-Plan Ahead: While taking decorations down, inspect items like strings of light that have gone out and fix or toss them so you won’t be hassled with it next year.
-Recycle: Find out what options your community offers to recycle live trees and wreaths.
-Clean Up: Give your place a thorough cleaning and enjoy your post-holiday look.

You can read the full article here. Of course they also have plenty of non-holiday related articles too, like tips for cleaning out your kitchen pantry, how to save money on cleaning supplies, tips for living with small closets, and tips for keeping your bathroom clean.  Plus, over on the ApartmentGuide.com blog they have lots of great articles too.  And of course you can find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Last, but not least, I also wanted to announce the winner of the $50 Amex giftcard giveaway courtesy of Apartment Guide.  Congratulations goes to Laura R!  I have messaged you the details.  Thanks to those that entered!

I'll be sharing my holiday clean-up efforts soon.  Are you already packed up and put away or are you a holiday procrastinator like me?

Full disclosure: Apartment Guide is owned by Consumer Source, Inc. Apartment Guide partnered with bloggers such as me to participate in its “How to Decorate Your First Place” program.  As part of that program, I received compensation.  They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products used for the “How to Decorate Your First Place” program. Apartment Guide and Consumer Source believe that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Consumer Source’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.