THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 9, 1995 TAG: 9504070063
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G2 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Around the House
SOURCE: Mary Flachsenhaar
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
SPRING IS here, time to head for the closet for the annual deep-clean. Besides the mop and bucket, a key ingredient for successful closet cleanup is mental toughness. A recent issue of Southern Living magazine gives these tips on how to be tough on closet clutter:
Think future. If you won't be able to wear a certain dress until you lose 10 pounds, toss it unless you're determined to lose weight.
Think past. If you haven't worn an outfit at least once in a year, the odds are you'll never wear it.
Don't think price. If you try to recall how much you paid for something, you might never get rid of it.
Think twice. If you've gone through the closet once and have only a few items to dispose of, you probably weren't ruthless enough. Do it again, maybe with the help of a friend who won't be so emotionally involved.
Think charitably. Donating the clothing to charity is much easier than holding a garage sale. The tax deduction on a donation can be substantial. If you're interested in making cash from a sale, be prepared to devote a weekend to the cause.
Bring in spring
Lighten up your home for spring. The April issue of McCall's magazine offers these how-tos:
Grow a flat of grass indoors. Plant grass seed in potting soil in a wooden crate lined with plastic.
Switch to lighter curtains, such as airy lace panels.
Bring in garden elements, such as furniture.
Trade a wool rug for a natural sisal mat.
Add a splash of color. Paint a molding, add a border, change throw pillows.
Mow your way to fitness
Good news blooms in the garden.
Studies show you can burn 300 to 400 calories an hour gardening with heavy digging, raking, laying sod or turning compost.
The April issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine lists these tips from Jeffrey Restuccio, author of ``Fitness the Dynamic Gardening Way,'' (Balance of Nature Publishing, Box 637, Cordova, TN 38088; 1992; $12.95):
Use a push mower instead of a power mower, a hand rake instead of a power leaf blower.
Wear leg and wrist weights to increase calories burned while doing outdoor work.
Split tasks into shorter segments. The idea is not necessarily to finish tasks but to space the work out so you can do at least a 30-minute workout every day.
``The important thing about gardening as exercise is people will garden much longer - sometimes all day and all their lives - than they will do other types of exercise,'' Restuccio says.
Keep the paint can clean
If your spring chores include painting, you may want to heed these suggestions for keeping things neat from the reader tip column of the April issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine.
You'll be able to scrape excess paint off your brush without dripping paint down the side of the can by first stretching a large rubber band vertically around the paint can. Then wipe the brush gently across the rubber band after dipping it in the can.
To keep the rim of the paint can completely paint-free, cover the rim with masking tape. When you're done, you'll be able to create a tight seal on the can. by CNB