Have you ever walked into an open house and thought to yourself, “What were they thinking?” From cluttered bedrooms to dirty bathrooms, when you’re in the business of selling homes, bad staging is bad business. With the real estate market trying to deflate its bloated inventory, smart staging could mean the difference between a sell next week and a sell two months from now.

Most people have a personal attachment to their homes and the relics that adorn each room. But to be a successful home seller, when someone tells you to declutter and pack away the 100-plus ceramic duck figurines on your bookshelf, you can’t take it personally, it’s just business. For some affordable and practical staging tips check out designer Lisa LaPorta’s “30 Can’t-Miss Staging Tips” at HGTV.com. Here are some of my favorite picks from her list:

Get rid of grimy bathroom walls                                                       
Here’s an easy way to get rid of surface mold: Mix a spray bottle with one part water and one part bleach. Just spray it on the wall, and watch the mold disappear. Give it a fresh coat of paint, and your grimy bathroom will go from red-flag to red-hot. Don’t replace a yucky shower door — just scour it. A grimy glass shower door can really wash out your sale. Instead of replacing it, clean it with a mixture of one part muriatic acid and about 10 parts water. Scrub with steel wool. After wiping it down, reinstall the door, and you’ll have a shower that’ll help you clean up at the open house.

Avoid dated tiles
Bathrooms sell houses, but dated tile in a bathroom doesn’t. A low-cost alternative to replacing the tile is to use paint. First coat the tiles with a high-adhesion primer. Next, brush on a special ceramic epoxy covering.

Appealing to both sexes
When you’re selling, your master bedroom should appeal to buyers of both sexes. Get rid of features that seem too gender-specific. Paint the walls a neutral color and choose bedding that matches. Then accessorize with items that complement the overall color scheme.

Stain dated kitchen cabinets
Dated kitchen cabinets can be a big turnoff to potential buyers. Instead of paying big bucks to replace them, just stain them. First, apply the stain in even strokes, going with the grain of the wood. Add some stylish new hardware, and your kitchen will have the up-to-date look that buyers love — for less than $200.

Staging rooms
Clear out clutter or other personal items that will distract buyers. Paint the walls a neutral tone, and furnish the space to show off how functional it is. When buyers come through and imagine themselves there, you can bet an offer isn’t far behind.

Do you have your own staging tips for home sellers?