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CARPET BARN / CARPET ONE 9.000x98 COL=4C 70970 5 I F 0 / & T U P S F G P S Z P V S Q F S G F D U G M P P S ? $ F S U J G J F E * O T U B M M B U J P O 4 Q F D J B M ' J O B O D J O H " W B J M B C M F 4 U P S F # V Z J O H 1 P X F S 4 B W F T : P V . P S F . B J O 4 U S F F U " O Z U P X O t ' P S G S F F N F B T V S F B O E G J O B O D J O H Q S F B Q Q S P W B M W J T J U $ B S Q F U 0 O F D P N t $ B S Q F U t - B N J O B U F t 8 P P E t 7 J O Z M t 5 J M F t . P S F 26 Guelph St., Georgetown 905 877-9896 1-800-CARPET-1 Locally owned & operated by neighbours you know & trust CARPET BARN Certified Installation & Special Financing Available For free measure and financing pre-approval visit www.CarpetOne.ca Home, Lawn and Garden, Wednesday, June 25, 2008 3 Do you often spend hours looking for things? Have you ever discovered a box full of items that you havent looked at, or needed, in years? Do you avoid certain dark corners of your home or garage because you just cant deal with the mess? Are you moving in the next few weeks and want to avoid moving car- loads of stuff you dont need? If you answered yes to any of these questions, dont stress out, the steps below will help you reach junk-free nirvana. Sort, separate and store The first step is the most difficult and time-consuming sort through the mess and separate it into three cate- gories: stuff you dont need anymore, junk you never needed in the first place and useful items that you forgot you had. Now that you know what items you want to keep, store them in suitable containers that youve clearly marked with a label. This is where a good elec- tronic labeler comes in. Electronic label makers date back almost 20 years to when Brother introduced their popular P-touch brand. Today, they can be pur- chased in most office supplies stores, or online at places like www.brother.ca. We encourage our customers to use colour coding to organize multiple stor- age boxes, says Marc Ruel, product spe- cialist at Brother Canada. It may seem strange, but they report that they get addicted to their labelers, However you do it, creating a system that works for you will make it that much easier to stick to. So now that you know what youve got, where are you going to put it? Give useful items a home Resist the temptation to put all those boxes back in the same shelf in the garage; give them proper homes instead. The best way to determine where some- thing should go is to put it near similar items. Stray tools go near screws, bolts and hardware. Gardening gloves and tools go near seed leftovers and bulbs. Camping gear? Meet fishing gear. Sell or donate what you dont need If youre like most people, youll be left with all sorts of things you just dont need. Nows the time to join forces with your neighbours and have that massive garage sale youve been putting off for years. An electronic labeler will come in handy here too. With so many items for sale, buyers will appreciate that your items are al l clearly price-tagged negotiable of course. Everything that is left over goes to the Salvation Army or your local thrift shop. Nothing against yoga, massage or long walks in the park, but if you really want to de-stress, de-clutter: nothing clears the mind like clearing the pile of junk thats accumulated in your cup- board. News Canada Reduce your stress by reducing your clutter Before the heat waves hit, make sure your air conditioner is able to battle the high tem- peratures. Dave Walton, Director of Home Ideas at Direct Energy offers the following tips to ensure your air conditioner is primed and ready to cool your home effectively and effi- ciently. Central air conditioning systems are a great choice. To reduce annual energy bills, install a high-efficiency central air condition- er with a 13 SEER rating, which uses up to thirty per cent less energy than older 10 SEER units. Make sure your central air conditioning system runs efficiently by keeping it clean. Have your system checked annually by a licensed professional and replace the fur- naces filter every three months. Also, be sure to hose off the outdoor unit and keep debris such as leaves and grass clippings away. Plant flowers and shrubs at least 24 inches from the outdoor unit. The life expectancy of a durable system is approximately 15 years. Make sure the war- ranty offers at least 10 years on the compres- sor and five years on all other parts. Prevention is the best medicine. Consider purchasing an air conditioning protection plan, like Direct Energys Cooling Protection Plan. For just a few dollars a week, youll be covered for most repairs and replacement parts. Youll also enjoy priority service if you require a service call. More information on this topic is avail- able online at www.directenergy.com or toll- free at 1-888-334-8221. News Canada Is your air conditioner up the job?