HOME & GARDEN

Spring cleaning good time to
eet rid of dangerous clutter

SPRING! AH ... the weather and
our hearts thaw as spring breaks
through. [t's a time that when of
us attack clutter around our
homes, as a ritual of spring.
Winter months can bring § ac-
cumulated debris throughout the
home and the coming of spring
signals time to do something
about it.

Bulky blankets and outdoor
clothing, snow shovels, boots and
other wintery needs now seem in
the way. The District of North
Vancouver Fire Department sug-
gests you take a critical look
around your home to reduce fire
risks.

Without our realizing it, spring
cleaning is a fire safety activity.
Because the old saying is all too
true: clutter gives fire a place to
start. Most of the winter debris
that accumulates over the cold
months isn’t only unsightly, it’s
flammable. So cleaning it up
reduces the chances that a fire will
start in your home.

Now is the time to get rid of
those holiday gift boxes you
didn’t know what to do with.
They build up, get in the way and
invite fire. If you've been collect-
ing newspapers, haul them to the
curbside for the recycler.

Find and dispose of oily and
other flammable rags. This is a
good time to start a fresh shoe-
polishing rag. {1 doesn’t have to
be very warm in your garage or
storage area for oily rags to heat
up, all by themselves, and start a
fire.

Even the rags you use with fur-
niture polish or spray are danger-
ous and should be replaced.

Go through your family storage

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areas. Overstuffed attics, base-
ments and closets invite fire. Try
to throw away what you really
don't use. Or how about a garage
sale the next pleasant, spring
weekend? If you can’t bear to
part with things, consider renting
space at a mini-warehouse, self-
storage facility.

At the very least, straighten
things up and be sure everything is
at jeast three feet from furnaces,
water heaters and other heat
sources,

This might be a good time, too,
to replace your smoke detector
battery, have your portable fire
extinguishers serviced and review
the condition of your appliance
cords.

It doesn’t have to be pure
drudgery. If you approach spring
cleaning with a sense of humor, it
can turn out to be an amusing
family project. Have some fun,
laugh at yourselves. Certainly
there’s something funny about
some of the things we keep
around our homes, and there must
be humorous memories of the past
winter that you will remember
while storing that cold-weather
equipment away until next year.

Don’t let parts of your home
become tempting fuel for a fire.
Spring cleaning is a chance for
you to make your family’s
lifestyle more fire-safe. So when
warmer weather gives you the urge
to stretch your muscles and do
something, how ah.ut attacking

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that basement, garage or storage
room?

Your family will sleep safer to-
night.

For further information, con-
tact the District of North Van-
couver Fire Department non-
emergency number 980-7575, or

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Advertisement

Friday, December 7, 1990 North Shore News

NV home designer
puts good eye to good use

SOME POPLE can walk in-
to a room and know in-
stantly how it should be
arranged.

News Report

Lynda MacLachlan, a resident of
North Vancouver, redesigns living
space using the owner's existing
furniture and possessions.

“There are different areas
where this can work. For people
who are selling a home or mov-
ing into a new home it’s a good
time to redecorate,’ says
MacLachlan. Here, Maclachian’s
experience in real estate comes
into play. ‘I know what it’s like
to go into home that doesn't sell,’
she confides. Often all that is
needed is a thorough cleaning of
walls, drapes and furniture and a
rethinking of the living arrange-
ment. What any home needs, she
believes, is “emotional appeal’’.

Other applications include
rearranging living space for peo-
ple who want to make a state-
ment but don’t know how or who
don’t want to pay an interior
designer and invest in more fur-
nishings. ‘People want a total
look, but don’t know how to go
about it. Usually, they can’t see
the forest for the trees. The pro-
blems are usually proportion,
light, color and clutter.”

Her philosophy is to use the
person's own possessions (or add

a minimum of new ones) to make
it their environment.

MacLachlan says most of her
ideas for redesign arise out of
sheer necessity. If a client is on a
limited budget or 2 roon: poses
certain limitations, a creative, and
not expensive or drastic solution
is called for.

With her background in in-
terior design from the Ontario
College of Art, MacLachlan brings
a sensitivity for color, porpertion
and light to her transformations.

Simple rearrangement of one’s
living quarters can mean the dif-
ference between a place to eat
and sleep and a real home. Peo-
ple are surprised at the difference
a good eye can make.

How does MacLachlan view
this challenge? ‘‘As an incredible
high. There is nothing better. And
every time a client goes into their
home. they think of me,” she
laughs.

For further information, contact
Lynda MacLachlan at Creatif
Design Resource, 988-0280.

a