Make cleaning a little easier

When Justin and I bought our first little house 15 years ago in a little town called Gilbert, Arizona (the closest grocery store was on Frys, on Valvista and Baseline... In other words, GILBERT HAS GROWN!!!)… We went from having 1 little bathroom to 2 bathrooms. I know it is not a big deal, but back then I came up with I think a BRILLIANT IDEA!!!!

***Are you ready…I put cleaning supplies and cleaning towels under every sink in the house (including the kitchen.) This way you don’t have to carry around all your supplies with you. That is why it is so easy for me to wipe down all 3 of my bathrooms almost everyday, because literally it only takes 3 minutes or less.

I also only use Windex Multi-surface cleaner (vinegar) to wipe down the mirrors, sinks, and toilets. I put a bottle of Windex and a stack of towels under all three bathrooms and under the kitchen sink. One day a week I clean the inside of all my toilets will A MAGIC WAND, that I have hanging from all of my toilets. That way I don’t have to track disgusting toilet water all over my house…It stays right by the toilet!!! I do clean the shower once a month, but I wipe it down after every shower so it stays clean longer. I leave a squeegee and a towel in ever shower… so it is a reminder to the family to WIPE IT DOWN!!!

I hope some of these ideas were helpful; they have worked great for me for the past 15 years. If any of you have another BRILLIANT IDEA, please let me know I would love to share it.

Have a great Monday!!

WASH DAY IS FOR THE BIRDS!!!

I hate doing Laundry. When my 4th little duckling was born I felt like I needed to do it twice a week. Eight months ago my washer and dryer broke so I had to get a new set, so I bought bigger tubs. Now I feel like I can do wash once a week. I have to say my family hates it and are not very happy, (especially my oldest duckling)…BUT MOMS HAPPY!!!

Here is 8 great tips to make wash day a little more bearable!!

1. Find a system and follow it consistently. (I sort all my wash on Wednesday night. I sort them in 8 baskets…whites, whites, jeans, lights, darks, bath towels, cleaning towels, delicates.

2. Get your family's help. Make each person responsible for transporting their clothing to and from the place were you sort.

3. Let children help you with the laundry. It's the best way for them to learn. (I am learning to do this one…I have not been able to master it yet!!!)

4. Do all your laundry in one day OR in two. (I just cut back to once a week and love it.)

5. Make sure your hampers have no lids...this makes it easy to put dirty clothes where they belong.

6. Have a hamper in everyone’s room. .

7. Help teach everyone in the family to make a decision about each piece of clothing as they get undressed. There are two options: clean you return to drawer or closet and if it’s dirty then the hamper.

8. Keep a backup supply of detergent, softener and stain remover. Whenever it’s on sale stock up.

I hope this helps with your wash day!! Have a great and organized weekend!!

Homework: Organize half of your laundry room.

***Sorry my pictures turned out fuzzy...but you get the idea!!

An Organized Garage is in your FUTURE

So when you go out in the garage, are you stumbling over bikes, fishing gear, camping tents and boxes filled with junk while your car sits in the driveway? If your garage looks like a rummage explosion just happened...it's time to schedule some time to organize the garage. You may even be able to put your car in its HOME…and find that baseball mitt that's been missing for five years!!!

***When you clean your garage, take everything out and put it in the driveway. Clean and sweep out garage, and check items for damage.***

1. Sort through the clutter. Discard what's broken and sell anything that you're not using.

2. Concentrate on reorganizing the stuff you want to keep. Group things together. For example, store your tools together, camping equipment together, and what ever else you can group together.

3. Use large stackable plastic bins to keep certain items such as, Holiday decorations, clothes that older children have grown out of, etc. I like to also color coat mine. Red and green for Christmas, orange and black for fall, Etc.

4. Attach shelves or cabinets to your garage walls, or put up freestanding units. Store the heaviest items on the lowest shelves. I also like to hang shelves on all three walls above car-roof height.

5. Hang rakes, brooms, shovels, garden tools, and other flat items on the walls

6. Hang bikes on hooks from the ceiling or along the side of the garage.

7. Build a low storage platform that the hood of your car slides under if you're really pressed for space. Use it to stash stuff in what would otherwise be empty air (unless you're hanging your bikes there).

I also like to put old rugs in my garage so I can wipe my feet off before I get in the car or go in the house.

Tip***DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT use your garage to store things until you can put them away properly.

Make sure everything has a HOME in your garage!!!

How to Cheat at Organizing

I hope you all had a great and organized weekend!!!

When it comes to tackling clutter, its okay to “cheat” or take shortcuts. Instead of worrying about being a perfectionist, try for simple, real-life solutions that work for you.

Jeff Bredenber, author of How to Cheat at Organizing came up with 4 ways to make organizing a little easier…

***I like to call them the 4 S’s***

• Strip: Pull everything out of the cluttered storage area, pantry and closet so you can assess what you have.
• Scrap: From foods you never eat to clothes you never wear, throw away the stuff that is "no longer good, no longer relevant to your here-and-now life,”
• Sort: Put like things with like. "Cluster them together into easily understood groupings," he says.
• Store: Return items back into their appropriate storage areas using proper storage bins and boxes.

This is another great way of tackling your drawers, cupboards, closets, and more.

***On Wednesday find out how to tackle your garage!!!***

FILES

Okay, do you have papers scattered around your house in different piles, waiting to be placed somewhere???

If you answered yes then begin by gathering up your documents. Pull out stray files, grab the latest round of bills, and empty that kitchen or office drawer, stuffed with papers you've been meaning to get to for years, then sort everything into ten piles:

• Monthly Bills (utilities, etc.)
• Bank Statements
• Pay Stubs
• Investment Statements (pension updates, 401(k) statements, brokerage and fund statements, and so forth)
• Tax Returns and Supporting Docs
• Policy Documents and Deeds (insurance policies (health, dental, life, home deeds, car title…)
• Warranties and User Manuals
• Forever Docs (things like marriage license, will, birth certificate, social security cards.)
• Receipts (for 3 months back)
• Medical and Dental records and receipts.

Next, create a folder for each type of document and add new papers as they come in. Then create folders within the folders: Take ongoing bills, for example. Store all water bills in one folder, electricity bills in another, phone bills in a third, and so on. If possible, keep all folders in a fireproof, water-resistant file cabinet or box; if not, a shelf or drawer will do.

I don’t have a filing cabinet, so I just use my armoire in my living room, and just one of those crates to hang my folders on for now!! Whatever works for you…It is just important to make a home for your paper, so you don’t have them staring you in the face everyday.

HOMEWORK: find all your water bills and make a special folder for them. Then have a great and ORGANIZED weekend!!!

Reduce your paper clutter

5 Things that can reduce your paper clutter

1. Get off all mailing lists.
2. Open all your mail by your “ROUND FILING CABINET.”
3. Tell companies not to sell your address.
4. Only order magazines you read.
5. Consolidate your credit cards.


***Put 1-2 hours in your schedule a week to eliminate clutter. Always evaluate, categorize, file and throw out papers.***


On Friday Learn about what files you need to put your papers in their proper homes!!

Do you have paper clutter??

When people enter my home they always ask…WHERE ARE ALL YOUR STACK OF PAPERS????

I always tell them, I ONLY KEEP WHAT I HAVE TO!!!!

***While you are going through mail or your kids school work or through other papers, ask yourself…Did I ask for this information?***

• Is this the only place the information is available? Or can I get it online?
• What is the worst thing that could happen if I trashed this paper?
• Are my kids going to be crushed if I throw this away? I tell my kids they can hang it up on the fridge for 1 week, then it goes in the “round filing cabinet.” (I know all of you think I am heartless because I have come to love my round filing cabinet!) Tell your kids they can keep 5-10 papers or projects a year, then file them in their “special boxes.” Each of my kiddos have there very own SPECIAL BOX!! If the project is to big for the box, take a picture of them holding it, and then file it in there special box!
• Only keep and cut out the coupons from the mail that you are going to use, then find a home for all coupons. Make sure you discard all coupons that are expired.

***Come back Wednesday and learn 5 things that will reduce your paper clutter.***