Using 5S in Home Decluttering

5S stands for five Japanese words prominent in Japan's production and manufacturing lines. It is a methodology stemming from Toyota's Production System aiming to maximize efficiency and quality. Fortunately, the practice isn't limited to the manufacturing and production. It also applies to other industries such as UX, graphic design, admin work, management systems like home decluttering.

Home decluttering won't amount to profit, but it is work done at home. Applying the 5S principle in your home makes household items accessible and clears the area of unwanted items. The philosophy of 5S enables you to redecorate and rearrange the stuff in your home based on your liking. Moreover, it allows you gain more space to maximize movement and function of each nook and cranny. Using 5S in decluttering benefits homes with limited floor area. A condo unit at Avida Towers Cloverleaf will appear twice its size when each item is in its proper place.

The 5S Philosophy

Seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu and shitsuke makes up the 5S philosophy by Sakichi Toyoda. These Japanese words comprise the steps of managing and organizing each aspect of your home. They also have an English counterpart which is the literal translation of each word. Thus, it is easy to apply the concept and follow its flow.

1. Sort

Seiri means 'to sort.' Sorting is a strategy toward the visual organization and maintaining order in the working area. Sorting is not the same as rearranging home items by location. The process involves segregating your thing by the frequency of use. You can also separate the stuff by its use. Use tags to mark your items or place them in bins with labels. That way, you know where to put them afterward.

If you plan to use tags, you can follow a color scheme. Use red markers for rarely used or unnecessary home items and green for those which frequently catch the light of the day. When using a bin, you must label it based on use and importance or relevance to daily living.

2. Set in order

Seiton is all about 'setting in order.' Once you identify your stuff through sorting, you can proceed to place them in order. You can store appliances and household objects you seldom use at the back of cupboard, drawers or overhead storages. Meanwhile, those essential to everyday living and activities are best on open-shelving, multi-use furniture, and surfaces. Cleaning agents and tools, reference books, school or office supplies, cooking utensils, and spices are some home items you must store within sight or easy-to-reach spaces. Doing so reduces the time spent on looking for them. However, don't forget to apply caution. Chemicals and other harmful materials such as sharp cutting tools must be out of children's reach.

3. Shine

' To shine' or seiso involves deep cleaning. However, cleaning won't only apply after the initial sorting and setting things in order. It must be consistent. You must keep parts of your home neat after each use. Polish your tools, sweep and mop the floor, wipe each surface to keep everything in order. Remember to inspect the condition of your devices and the workplace to attend to repairs and defects.

4. Standardize

The next step is seiketsu or 'to standardize' the method of sorting and tidying after finding a place for your home items and cleaning them until they shine. You must establish a standard to help you formulate rules to employ the 3S effectively. Involve each person in your household when creating standards and securing the location of each item. You can also implement other visual management ideas to ensure each person contributes to the upkeep.

5. Sustain

The last part of 5S is shitsuke. For 5S to become active, you must sustain the procedures of order and neatness. You and your family must be consistent in the process of sorting, organizing, and cleaning to keep the state of your environment. Maintaining the habit helps you refine the steps and discover innovative ideas to keep clutter out of your home.

The Dual Nature of the 5S Philosophy

The process of 5S is a way to declutter and instill discipline within the household. Your home becomes an eco-friendly environment when you learn to store the items required for daily sustenance. Each member of the family will minimize harboring unnecessary items and save your home's spaces for the essential stuff for everyday life. The habit makes your home easy to maintain and decorate.

A clutter-free, tidy space is also visually appealing. It grants the viewer a peace of mind which opens different possibilities for different home layout.

8 Home Decorating Styles Not Worth The Hassle

Most home trends on the Internet you can find on social media look immaculate. They become your peg and inspire you to re-do the arrangement of the items and pieces of furniture at home. Often, it pushes you to scour new home accessories from stores at Vertis North - if you are in Quezon City, or Arca South, if near Makati, Taguig, Parañaque, and Alabang.

Unfortunately, some home decorations aren't sustainable. They contribute to clutter, add to hassle of maintaining the rooms or doesn't retain its style for a long time. Here are some home decorating styles that seems pretty in photos but don't add much value to your interior.

1. Chalkboard Walls

Painting with chalkboard paint leaves you stuck with it. The mixture is thick and difficult to top off. Unfortunately, the texture of a regular wall isn't the same as proper blackboards. Thus, writing creates a dusty and messy look.

2. Clawfoot Tubs

Old-fashioned tubs have the luxury of the Victorian era. Having an aesthetically pleasing interior comes with a price. For instance, you have to keep the underneath clean. The elevated feature of the tub will make you fuss over splashes and wet spots underneath.

Thus, you must keep the area dry and polished. Emphasize the foot of each tub to keep them from getting grimy and tarnished. If the bathroom has hardwood floors, it is prone to water damage. Bathrooms maintenance can be costly with this combination.

3. Hidden Book Spines

Backward books are becoming popular in the minimalist home style movement. Homeowners flip their books - curated collection or not - to disguise and make use of the creamy tones of parchment paper.

Applying this designing technique may work for others, but it certainly doesn’t make any sense for people who take time to read the pages. Book titles make excellent conversation starters. It shows your interest to your guests and people who chance upon your home.

4. Invasive plants

Your love for Mother Nature is still evident even when you don't have sprawled plants in your home. Allowing invasive plants to crawl their way and thrive in your home is guaranteed to create a hole or some form of disaster in your home. Invasive plants may be difficult to hold off once they start spanning in different areas of the house.

5. Mirrors in the Kitchen

All the decorations and decoration at home are bound to get dirty. Having a mirror in the area magnets grease that will be harder to clean once the dust settles. Most of all, it doesn't really help to see your reflection when cooking.

The same goes with artworks. Art is aesthetically pleasing but it can make a small kitchen cluttered. It takes up the space needed for utensils, condiments, and spices.

6. Open Shelving

The arrangement of your china, books and other trinkets looks in pretty in photos, Instagram and Pinterest posts. It’s different in real life when you start to consider how to clean between the spaces. It’s also the same when you reach out something from the back. You have to pile them again to maintain their arrangement or how they were before. Cleaning is also a hassle. Dust and grease in between and inside bowls, cups, and glassware are time-consuming if you plan to check on them on a daily basis.

7. Vessel Sinks

Those water fixtures in hotel rooms and luxurious home interiors is actually a pain when you think of maintaining a pristine condition. Similar to clawfoot tubs, a raised bowl means that anyone can see your the dirt and grime on the surface. Meanwhile, a strong water surge or opening the faucet on a strong setting too soon will make water splash everywhere.

8. Slipcovers

Covering pieces of furniture seem like an easy and practical way to decorate. Unfortunately, pre-made covers somehow never fit the furniture. You still need to take the furniture’s measurements and make the necessary alterations. On top of its unfitting size, slipcovers come undone once a family member flops on top of it.

These home decorating styles are pretty to look at and pleasing to the eyes. Some of them are also cheap and quick to implement in the space. However, maintenance costs, repairs and cleaning supplies may take more than your monthly budget. Be wise and look for alternatives before adding these to your unit or house and lot.

Should You Demand a Green Maid Service For Your Home?

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Cleaning our home is already a part of our lives. We clean not just because it's already our routine but because we want to ensure that we live in a healthy environment. You don't want to be sick just by looking at your messy home, right? Yes, it's psychological too! Of course, it doesn't matter where you live, be it in a condo in Quezon City or any other condominiums in the Philippines, cleaning your home is a must do.

Some of you here might have tried different ways or methods in cleaning your home. While other condo owners have difficulties to clean their home properly since they are also having a hard time finding time for cleaning. That is why some of them are planning to hire cleaning services just to make their home clean. But before you can decide on what cleaning services you are going to hire, know the company first.

Not all cleaning services provide do cleaning in an environmentally-friendly. Some of them used chemicals that can kill and are dangerous to our health. Indeed, cleaning methods and materials matter. It is important for you to know if they offer services that are friendly to our environment. If not, then there are still other cleaning services that provide good quality services not just to your home, but also to the environment.

Are chemical cleaners that bad?

Before anything else, it is given that chemicals are harmful to our health. Yes, there might be some products that are not that harmful (the mild ones), but usually, chemicals that are used for cleaning are dangerous. Moreover, science has made it clear that chemicals found in cleaning products can have a great impact on our health. Well, this might affect our skin and respiratory irritations and even on our eyes. Using these kinds of chemicals is not good, especially when you are prone to asthma and other allergic reactions.

However, replacing these cleaning chemical products with eco-friendly and organic cleaners can reduce and help prevent potential health danger. If you know that a particular company still uses harmful chemicals on their service, then you can demand a friendly way to clean your home. Or better find another cleaning company that offers a green maid service.

What is a green maid service?

Some of us here might be wondering what a green maid service is all about. Well, it is called "green" since it is different from the other maid services. They offer organic and natural ways to clean your home rather than using chemicals and other cleaning tools and equipment. You will know if a cleaning company offers a green maid service when they use 95 percent natural cleaning materials and have an environmentally friendly or biodegradable packaging. And of course, the company must be accredited by the government that it is safe to hire that particular cleaning company.

Moreover, before they can run their cleaning service company, the government would test their cleaning materials and other products used for cleaning is safe for the environment. If not, then they might not be able to put up a cleaning service company. Of course, it is to ensure the safety of us all.

Benefits of a green maid service

There will always be advantages when you choose and hire a green maid service to clean your home. Aside from the benefits, you can get when it comes to your health, you also contribute a fresh and green to our Mother Nature. Of course, when you use harmful chemicals, this might be the cause of an air pollution where you neighbors and other homeowners can inhale the toxic chemicals. And you don't want to be the cause of their sickness, right?

Moreover, choosing a green maid service is a great choice for you, if you are one of those homeowners who are concern about the adverse effects that traditional chemical cleaners have on the environment. Also, if you have children, it is also safe for them to move around the house without worrying about the harmful air caused by the cleaning chemicals used.

So should you demand a green maid service for your home? Definitely yes! It is also for your safety and good.

Making Condos More Sustainable

Making condo building greener must be the topmost priority of the developers and associations. Not just the condos in Manila area or in Makati, Alabang, Quezon City, but the condos in the entire country. While not all residents may welcome the idea due to certain compromises, introducing green initiatives is still plausible. Below are just some of the ways to make condos greener.

1) Provide adequate yard waste bins (or compost containers)

Given the fact that condo buildings do not generate much yard waste, but the association can still put yard waste containers where the residents can discard their compost including food scraps. Encourage the unit owners and renters to compost and recycle by providing them an informational sheet upon moving in.

2) Create gardening spaces

Condo units usually lack the space they need for gardens. Nonetheless, mini Zen gardens as table centerpieces will do. The condo association may also consider buying identical window boxes and seedlings for all the tenants. If this is not possible, consider transforming the rooftop into a garden.

3) Use non-toxic materials

During remodeling and repainting, buy and use non-toxic and low, or non-VOC (volatile organic compound) paints. These are the chemicals that paint release once applied. When replacing carpets, buy and use carpets that are free of formaldehyde. As much as possible, use reclaimed building materials available from eco-friendly stores.

4) Use non-toxic cleaning supplies and materials

If the condo association hires a cleaning service, make sure that they are using EPA registered products. They should not be using chlorine bleach and ammonia-based cleaners. Instead, inspect if they use cleaning products that don’t contain chlorine, alcohol, triclocarban and triclosan. The products must be petroleum-free, solvent-free, VOC-free and biodegradable.

5) Recycle old appliances and materials

If the building and tenants have old appliances, recycle them. If they still work, considering donating them to the local shelter or selling them and allocate the proceeds to buying new appliances and materials for the common areas.

6) Weather-proof doors and windows

If installing weatherproof doors and windows is not conceivable, the condo management can try weather-stripping the doors, windows and trunks. Weather-stripping means sealing the door and window openings and securing them from the elements. Weather-stripping doesn’t only keep out weather, but also increases interior comfort, reduces noise and lowers utility bills. After this, the next step should be insulating the walls, attics and crawlspaces.   

7) Install CFLs on entryways, hallways and other common areas

Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) last up to 10x longer than the standard incandescent bulbs. CFLs also use 75% less energy which means lower electricity bills throughout their use. The condo association can further save through installing timers in less frequently used areas such as the laundry room. Light sensors can also be used for outdoor lighting. For the front walkways, the association may choose to install solar lights.

8) Use water wisely

There are many ways by which the building and tenants can consume water more efficient.

• Equip kitchen and bathroom faucets with low-flow aerators
• Mount low-flow shower heads
• Replace toilets with low-flow toilets
• Use Energy Star rated appliances on common areas
• Fix water leaks quickly
• Put native plants instead of ornamental plants
• Use drip irrigation in the garden

For a more organized green transition, the association may form a green committee. The board can ensure smooth implementation of the projects. This also signals the commitment of the association to the initiatives and so more tenant buy-ins can be achieved. Make sure that whatever project the condo embarks all the tenants are well-informed, so they’d understand the motivation behind those projects and how they may benefit from such. Through this, buy-ins will be high and so will the tenant involvement and commitment.