Let’s be honest. Although a newly renovated home sounds great, renovations can be messy and stressful. The final product will be well worth the time, money and effort — but it won’t feel like that when you’re in the thick of it. Luckily, you can do something about it.
Here’s how to keep yourself level headed and your home tidy during construction.
Home Renovations Don’t Have to Be Messy
Home renovations are often long, messy projects — they can last anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months. During this time, maintaining a clean, organized space can be difficult. How do you keep things neat when stepping around paint cans, ducking under plastic tarps and wiping sawdust from your couch cushions?
Of course, there’s also your sanity to worry about. Everything from scheduling to budgeting can feel maddening. Consider soft costs, which are expenses not directly related to labor or materials. Usually, they make up 30% of the project’s total budget. Estimating and controlling them can be challenging, which adds to your stress.
The good news is that home renovations don’t have to be messy — you don’t have to put up with months-long messes. Staying sane and keeping things organized is possible as long as you put in the effort. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution since everything from your home’s size to your type of renovation affects your strategy. However, there are a few good rules of thumb.
How to Stay Sane During Renovation
Here are some ways to help yourself stay sane during the construction process.
Make Space for Yourself
Amid the plastic tarps, paint sample cards and power tools, you need a relatively tidy space. Create clean, open paths for yourself to complete your daily routine without encountering much mess. For example, during a kitchen renovation, you could temporarily move your coffee maker to your nightstand for easy access in the mornings.
Take a Timely Vacation
There are only so many paint fumes and table saw screeching you can take before it drives you up the newly installed drywall, so to speak. Visit family, swing by a friend’s place or stay at a hotel for the weekend. After experiencing non stop construction noise for weeks, getting some much-needed peace and quiet can be incredibly rejuvenating.
Get Rid of Fumes and Smells
Building materials, adhesives and paints can emit strong-smelling, headache-inducing fumes. The air pollutant level is already often up to five times higher indoors than outdoors, so you need ventilation. Since you must close and cover vents to keep dust and debris out of your HVAC system, consider opening windows or using a drum fan.
Set Expectations Early On
Construction workers may blast loud music, accidentally drop nails or discard cigarette butts on your driveway. Little annoyances can become exponentially more irritating the longer the renovations go on. Set your expectations with your contractor upfront — ensuring you get everything in writing — to avoid the headache of situations like these.
How to Stay Organized Despite the Mess
Maintaining your usual level of organization may not be possible during remodeling, but here’s how you can get close.
Place all Debris in the Dumpster
Contractors typically rent dumpsters, but it’s not uncommon for workers to pile debris while they work. This is because demolition produces a lot of garbage, accounting for 33% of solid waste in the United States. To keep things on your property tidy, ensure everything ends up in the dumpster by the day’s end.
Use Creative Storage Solutions
Portable, hidden and outdoor storage options work wonders for keeping your limited indoor space tidy. Also, it helps you keep your things free of drywall dust and paint drips. You can use shelves with wheels, a hollow ottoman, containers with handles or a storage unit. You could even store things in your shed or your car’s trunk if needed.
Keep Your Spaces Clean
Cleaning your living spaces can help you manage stress and stay organized. Go the full nine yards by sweeping, mopping, dusting and vacuuming as often as possible. It can be hard to muster the effort, but the results are worth it. Research shows you will become less irritable, more productive and less distracted if your area is tidier.
Remember to keep your air clean, too. Between the drywall dust and household cleaners, you may breathe in more construction by-products than oxygen. Consider an air purifier with a high-efficiency particulate air filter. It removes up to 99.97% of pollutants because it can catch airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns in diameter.
Contain Renovation Messes
Contain renovation-related messes to keep your spaces organized. Use plastic tarps to section the area off, place washable covers over nearby furniture, use drop cloths for your flooring and hang curtains to create a visual barrier. Treating the construction area like a separate part of your home can help you stay organized.
Check in With Yourself Throughout the Process
Holding the image of your newly renovated home in your head only tides you over for so long. Eventually, the whir of power tools and the smell of wood stain start to demolish your sanity, much like a sledgehammer to drywall. Even if you keep things clean or take a mini vacation, the fumes and sounds might still get to you. Keep checking in with yourself to manage your stress until things return to normal.