Spring cleaning tips for your workspace

from At Home Places Spring 2021

by Herald-Mail Media

Have DIABETES?

REED MUMMA

written by SARAH REED and

SHAWN MUMMA, LA ROUGE DESIGNERS

It doesn't matter if you have an office job or if you’ve made the shift to work from home, keeping an organized desk and workspace is very important in order to work efficiently. It's not always easy to pay attention to cleaning and organization when you're focused on important deadlines, home schooling and staying healthy, which is why your space can quickly turn into a mess.

During spring cleaning time, take a day or two to concentrate on your workspace. You'll thank yourself later when you're able to find everything you need quickly and efficiently.

While spring cleaning, take a day or two to concentrate on your workspace. You'll thank yourself later when you're able to find everything you need quickly and efficiently. Photos by Colleen McGrath

Consider some of the following cleaning tips for your workspace:

1File paperwork. Paperwork can get out of hand fast. Spend some time sorting through your paperwork. File important papers, and shred any personal documents that you don't need anymore.

Put all loose paperwork in a filing system and keep folders for any paperwork that you're currently using. As new papers come in, try to deal with them right away, instead of leaving them on your desk for later.

2Clean your work surfaces. Since you'll be able to finally see the bottom of your desk, take advantage of the opportunity to clean the surfaces underneath the

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old clutter. Also, clean all desk items, such as staplers, pens and paper trays.

3Make your business con-

tacts digital. Start a list of all business contacts on your computer, such as in the email address book. Keep track of business name, photos, phone number, mailing address and email addresses. This way you can toss old business cards accumulating on your desk.

4Sift through old reminder

notes. If you have post-it notes all around the office, sift through them and toss the ones that no longer apply. Reorganize them by priority, or make digital files to keep track of them. Post-its can get disorganized fast, so if you have something on a post-it that's a long-term project, it's better to keep your notes on your computer.

5Deal with digital clutter.

Cleaning your workspace doesn't apply only to your physical workspace. Is anything cluttering up your computer's hard drive? Go through your e-mail inbox and delete those you don't need or file them away.

Clean your computer desktop and delete old files or back them up to an external drive. Take the time to properly back up your files often, so you never lose important work.

6Organize your supplies.

Gather your work supplies into one area of your desk. Keep them in that space or a specific drawer. This will give them a permanent place so they're not left out and scattered around your desk at all times.

7Clean the areas around

the room. Vacuum the room around your desk and wash the windows, baseboards and more. It's probably not an area that you often think about, which is why it's likely due for a cleaning.

8Make a future cleaning

schedule. If spring cleaning for your workspace was a burden on you, it probably means that you let things get out of hand this year. You can prevent it from happening again by doing periodic cleaning of your workspace.

Once you have an organizational system in place, you can spend maybe 30 minutes per week keeping everything clean and organized.

It's always a good idea to keep your workspace nice and clean. It helps you be more efficient, productive and less stressed. Plus, a clean office environment is more inviting to you, your clients and anyone you work with. — Places

Visit La Rouge Home & Design, 19761 Leitersburg Pike,

Hagerstown, for fresh ideas for your home office space. We have tons of accent pieces, unique items, and design ideas to share with you.

La Rouge is open

Fridays, noon to 4 p.m.; Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.;

Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. and by appointment. larougehomeanddesign.com 833-La-Rouge larougevintage@gmail.com

Create a backyard oasis Ideas to transform your outdoor space

Above: With many vacations canceled in 2020, homeowners are investing getaway funds into a backyard transformation. Photo courtesy Casey Fence & Deck Below: A fire pit brings charming light and warmth to a backyard oasis. EP Henry photo courtesy Sunny Meadows Garden Center written by LAUREN LAROCCA

People are spending more time at home, and as the weather warms, outdoor spaces are being utilized more than ever before.

“A lot of people canceled their vacations last year, so they have extra disposable income to put into their outdoor living space — and they’ve been stuck at home, stuck inside, and they have that desire for extra space,” said Brendan Casey, owner of Casey Fence & Deck LLC in Frederick, Md. “I also think a lot of people are finding that by investing money wisely back into their home, they’re also increasing their home resale value.”

If you’re considering expanding or updating an outdoor space to make it more inviting, several options await. Whether you’re thinking of adding a new patio, deck, a fire pit or lounge area, local experts weighed in on what folks are doing to make the most of their outdoor spaces. Here are some ideas.

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A patio area underneath a second-story deck creates a nice, dry space to enjoy, even if it’s raining. Photo courtesy Casey Fence & Deck

Bring your vacation to you

When people began canceling vacations in 2020, Casey said he noticed pretty quickly that clients wanted to re-create their ideal vacation locales at home.

“People who would have been going to the beach are looking for that tiki bar kind of beach atmosphere,” he said. “They’re adding string lights to give them that beach party effect. Then you get clients who like being in the mountains and might’ve been headed up to Deep Creek (Md.) who are adding patios in and fire pits to create that bonfire effect like they’re camping. This is what clients want. We’re turning their backyard into their vacation destination.” Create patios under second-story decks

Casey said a lot of clients have been asking for under-deck drainage systems recently. With drainage systems keeping rain and snow out of the area underneath a second-story deck, a patio below becomes a nice, dry space to enjoy, even if it’s raining or snowing.

It’s also a great escape from the heat because it provides some shade. It’s a simple way to make the most of the space you have.

“People are trying to find ways to use more of their outdoor space because they can’t go somewhere else,” Casey said. Dine in your backyard

Derrick House, owner of Nature Boys Landscape & Construction in Boonsboro, said since people aren’t going out to eat as much, they want to enhance their backyard spaces to include dining areas.

Working with clients, Nature Boys can help realize their visions and create new spaces “where the family can gather for barbecues and family fun in a time when options are limited,” he said.

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Extend the seasons

“In this area, there is a big trend toward extending the season(s) to spend (more time) outside,” said Shawn Eby, manager of the Outdoor Living Division at Sunny Meadows Garden Center in Boonsboro.

He noted that while adding a fire pit brings charming light and some heat, installing a radiant infrared heating system can add about an extra month of use on both ends of a season and costs only about $1 to $2 per hour to operate, depending on the size of the project.

On the same note, Eby said a lot of people are heating small areas around their outdoor kitchen so they can use a grill year-round. Light it up!

Landscape lighting is another trend in backyard spaces. “You might be thinking of spotlights shining on the front of the home,” said Eby, but also “small lights for your backyard living space, not only for enchanting nights with friends, but also for safety on walkways and steps. There are myriad options.” With LED, low-voltage lighting available, you can add a lot of lights with little use of electricity. — Places

Low-voltage lighting is used for safety on front steps. Photo courtesy Sunny Meadows Garden Center