Posted by Cindy on November 26, 2007
While some home organization gurus will tell you to start in the kitchen, I’m going to advise beginning in another area. The kitchen will be the third place we attack and this doesn’t make it less important, but I will explain why I’m starting elsewhere.
First, if you look around your home, you probably see lots of clothes. Am I right? You’ve got clothes in closets, you’ve got clothes in piles (meaning to put them away and not having time, eventually just pulling them out of the pile and wearing them), and you’ve got clothes in laundry baskets. You might even have rumpled clothes in the dryer or (heaven forbid!) the washer. If it’s the former, the clothes are only rumpled. If it’s the latter, they’re probably rumpled AND smelly and (potentially) mildew-y. Yuck! Somewhere in this Mt. Vesuvius of laundry, dirty, clean, or otherwise, is your home. And I’m guessing that if you have a laundry room, you keep the door closed, as there are multiple Mt. Vesuvii piling up in there. If you don’t have a laundry room but have a laundry closet (with room for the washer, dryer, and some shelves), I’m betting you haven’t seen the top of your dryer for weeks or even months. It’s covered in rumpled clothes and towels, right?
Have you guessed where we’re starting? That’s right… the laundry area of your home. And here’s why… if you get your laundry room cleaned and organized, you’ll be much more apt to actually DO the laundry that plagues you and helps your home to be disorganized. And because you won’t want to undo the work you’ve done in the laundry room, you’re more likely to fold the laundry when it’s done, and put it away. There’s something that’s a breath of fresh air about a straightened laundry room—sort of like when you walk in to a closet where everything is hanging neatly.
So start with small steps:
1. Can you see the floor? No? Then pick up what’s on the floor and put it in laundry baskets. If you don’t have enough laundry baskets to accomplish this, then just sort the things in to piles outside the laundry room. I make piles of light clothes, whites, darks, and towels/rags.
2. Can you see the top of the dryer? If not, put the excess clothes in the aforementioned piles. Grab one rag to dust and have two plastic grocery bags—one to collect junk, and the other for later. Dust the dryer from the lint-leftovers and use a little window-cleaner if it doesn’t come off readily. Don’t neglect the area where the “start” button is—that can be grimy, too!
3. Can you see the top of the washer? If not, repeat the steps in #2, using the window cleaner if necessary.
Okay - now you’ve got your washer and dryer cleaned off. Congratulations! Let’s continue to take small steps in the laundry room….
4. Now take a critical look at your supply shelf. Do you have empty bottles or boxes lying around from spent detergent and/or fabric softener? Clean those out. Use that grocery bag that you’ve put excess dryer lint in and pitch those empties. Then organize what’s left. If you need to add things to your shopping list, now is the time—now you know what you’ve got and what you need to buy. When you organize your supplies, I recommend putting the detergent and any liquid softener above the (gasp!) washer. Make it easy to reach. Put the dryer sheets over the dryer—why reach more than you have to? If your shelves are higher than you’d like, use the top ledge of your washer & dryer to hold supplies! I’ve never seen a washer and dryer that don’t butt up to a wall for the electrical plugs they need. So use that space to your advantage. Put the detergent box or bottle on the top of the washer, along with whatever other washing supplementals you have. Put the dryer sheets on the top of the dryer so you don’t forget and end up with a load of static cling!
5. If you have wire-shelves above your washer & dryer, you’ve got a built-in place to hang a trash bag. Use that extra grocery-sack and cut one of the handles in half. Then tie those two ends around some of the wire-shelf and use the bag to collect dryer lint and empty containers from your emptied laundry supplies. When it’s full, cut it down and put it in the trash and put up a new one.
6. Now look at your floor. Does it need sweeping? If so, grab a broom and sweep. It won’t take you more than 5 minutes and you’ll feel much better about your room and your work—especially if something you’ve just washed falls on the floor as you’re transferring stuff to the dryer.
Congratulations! You’ve done the preliminary work of organizing your home—you won the battle in your laundry room! Take a 15 minute break and enjoy this victory. Then start the task of doing the excess laundry that you’ve been collecting—one pile at a time. When the first is done, swap it out immediately to your dryer or to hangers, if that’s more appropriate. Take it one pile at a time—in other words, small steps! Soon, you’ll find that it really only takes 5-10 minutes to fold warm clothes from the dryer and put them in laundry baskets, ready to transfer to the appropriate rooms, closets, and drawers. The rewards are huge here.. keep up on it (one load every day) and you’ll win the war against the Mt. Vesuvius of clothes in your home.
Posted by Cindy on November 26, 2007
Do you shudder when you think of people coming over to visit unannounced? Do you panic when you get a message on your answering machine that family is coming, and they left four hours ago (and it’s a five hour trip)? Do you try to clean before your cleaning lady comes? Can you not afford a cleaning lady and try to do it yourself, ending up discouraged, frustrated, and thinking it’s just impossible?
The real key here is to take it a step at a time. Take it at your own pace. This IS a fight that you CAN and WILL win! You will have to commit to having less stuff if your home and letting go of some things. This isn’t having Clean Sweep come to your home and do the work for you.
Don’t worry. It can all be done in a few minutes each day. Yes, you, too can occupy a relatively clean and uncluttered environment as long as you relax and let go of “it’s-got-to-be-perfect-itis”.
Ready for step one? Good. We’re going to declutter first, so set a timer and put on some energizing music to get you going. Decide that you’re only going to declutter for 30 minutes in one certain room. Then if you want to work longer, say, another round of 30 minutes, you can. But you don’t have to. This helps you get motivated, even when you feel like cleaning is the last thing you’d want to tackle.
Go from room to room one day, just decluttering - 30 minutes in each room, or whatever time you have commited to. Some rooms might take only five minutes - there’s a good feeling! Others might take longer than 30 minutes before you can walk through the room without tripping over something. It’ll all average out.
Then on day two, go back to your first room and surface clean. Wipe off counters, sinks, flat surfaces. Then spot vacuum. If there’s a stain on the kitchen floor, spot clean that baby. Day three, pick another room. Day four, still another. If you’re so motivated one day and get on a roll, surface clean two rooms.
After you’ve decluttered, we’re going to take fifteen minutes a day and do some deeper cleaning in each room. You know, vacuuming thoroughly, dusting, swatting away cobwebs, etc.
Now, if you just repeat this simple schedule, you’ve got a house that would at least make the grade on a pass-fail system. That takes a load off your mind and alleviates stress in your family relationships.
Remember, it’s better to do a little each day and get the job done, than to stress out in an embarrassingly cluttered environment because you’re too overwhelmed to even start. Go ahead – set that timer!
Posted by Cindy on October 31, 2007
Clorox Disinfecting Wipes are one of the handiest cleaning products to have in your home. Clorox Wipes work great for just about any cleaning job. They are wonderful for quick and easy cleanups. If you have kids, these are lifesavers!
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Posted by Cindy on October 28, 2007
Having an organized home isn’t difficult but it does take a little commitment. Here are some easy and frugal ways to organize your home and your life, and it won’t break your budget or drive you crazy trying to organize. Check out these easy and cool organizing tools for the home.
Lazy Susan
Thanks to the soul who invented this little item! They’re cheap, and help keep spices, bottles, and condiments neatly arranged and at your fingertips. Use them in the pantry, in cabinets, on the kitchen table - they’re absolutely life savers when it comes to staying organized.
Plastic Basket for Lids
Plastic containers - a double edged sword! One the one hand they keep me organized and save tons of time in the kitchen, especially. But searching through ten thousand lids that don’t fit can drive a person nutty. I use a plastic basket for all my lids so they’re in one spot when I go looking.
A Triple Swing-out Towel Holder
Put these under your kitchen and bathroom sinks to save space and keep your sink area uncluttered. Use it to hold towels, cleaning rags, trash bags, etc.
Laundry Room Hanging Up Hooks
Place a few strong adhesive hooks in the laundry room - these can be used for hanging coats, clothes, etc. Hooks are great to hang up mops, brooms and other cleaning supplies, too.
Plastic Baggies with Zipper Locks
How did our ancestors survive without them? Baggies are perfect to store small toys, puzzle pieces, and any little items that go together in one spot. The two-gallon sized ones are my favorite.
A Labeler
These don’t have to be expensive to work. And having containers and shelf spaces labeled is a great way to help children keep their items organized, as well as yourself. Do yourself a favor – use a labeler for a week, and you’ll wonder hoe you ever lived without one.
A Compartment Tray for Your Junk Drawer
Occasionally, I actually open my junk drawer to search for something! Having miscellaneous items in little compartments of the tray will save you time and frustration when you go searching.
A TV Remote Holder
How much time have you wasted looking for this little item? Make or purchase a holder for your remote, or put velcro on the back and stick it someplace near the couch.
Laundry Sorting Bin
Less than ten bucks, these bins help keep your dirty laundry organized, so that when you’re ready to wash the whites, they’re all in the same spot. No more digging through a giant hamper to find the right clothes! This makes laundry time so much simpler!
Two-tiered Spice Racks
These cabinet organizers save time and hassle in the kitchen. How many times have you searched for the oregano - behind the cinnamon, no - the nutmeg…Wait -where was the nutmeg? You get the idea.
These items are by no means all the great organizing tools out there, but they’re my choices for time saving and hassle free living!
Posted by Cindy on October 28, 2007
When organizing your office, you’ve got a couple choices. Write a list of all the little things that need to be done and work on them a few minutes each day, or dive straight into the deep end and do it all in one fell swoop.
If you’re sick of your entire office, box it all up like you’re moving, and set the boxes in a different room. Then unpack one box at a time and organize from the bottom –up. Make sure to file papers as you go along.
I like the “little at a time” approach. My first step would be to take all the papers that are scattered about and put them into one box. You can file these now, or clean your desktop and surrounding area further. I like putting all the filing together, all the books together, and then working on one pile at a time.
If several folks in your home are receiving mail, you can use wall-mounted acrylic holders and just label them with each person’s name. That takes care of the mail lying around.
A friend of mine keeps all her bills on her refrigerator with a magnet. As soon as they come in, they go straight on the fridge. That way, they can’t get lost underneath piles of papers. I’ve adopted this idea and it’s saved me a huge headache. Now I don’t have a bunch of envelopes and bills lying around on my desktop, just waiting for payday.
Decide what your office needs and designate a spot for each item. If you make calls from this area, you’ll need a phone, phone book, message pad and pens. You’ll need a place for the computer and accessories, plus a spot for copy paper.
Set up the basics first, and then decide item-by-item what else you want to place in your office. Do you have room for personal items? Pictures can be placed on a bulletin board or hung on the wall. You ability to focus and accomplish is affected by a messy desktop, so make it a priority to keep it decluttered.
Once you’ve set up the office and filed your paperwork, you can buy some colored folders or stickers and color-code your files to make it easier to find what you’re looking for.
If you take just 15 minutes every other day to clean off your desk and surrounding work area, you’ll find your home office a much more pleasant place to work! And your personal efficiency will skyrocket as well!
