The last 2 TIPS!!!

The last 2 TIPS!!!

5. Wipe down your interior twice a month. I like to use Windex and Turtle Wax to help my interior (rubber, plastic, vinyl and leather) shine. ***TIP: Keep a Swiffer Duster in your car at all times to help keep up on the dust…WHY NOT since you are just waiting!!! RIGHT!

6. Last but not least wash the outside of your car once a month, then dust the outside with this special duster.
***Homework: Take everything out of your car, and give it a HOME!!!

I hope you all enjoy this beautiful fall weekend…HAPPY ORGANIZING!!!

# 3 and # 4 Tips

Good morning to all my fellow organizers!!! The next 2 tips to keep your car clean and organized are…

#3. Place tools, emergency items, blankets, water, and things of the sort into your trunk. You can buy a trunk organizer that makes things easier. ***Remember: EVERYTHING HAS A HOME…in your trunk too.

#4. MY FAVORITE…keep a shop vac or small vacuum in your garage, so that you can vacuum your car twice a month. YES, you heard me correctly, 2 times a month vacuum the interior of your car. ***Hey you vacuum your house weekly why not your car??

YES on Friday I will reveal the last 2 tips…

IS YOUR CAR A GARBAGE CAN ON WHEELS??

Okay, so how many of you spend a lot of time in your car, truck, or SUV on your way to or from work, school, or waiting for kids to finish dance, piano, a game or practice?

YEP…that’s what I thought, we spend so much time in our cars. The result, unless you are also very careful, can be a car interior that looks like a TRASH CAN ON WHEELS!

A failure to maintain a good car interior is likely to cost you in resale value down the road. Once you begin to let the auto interior look warn and used, the more likely the situation will turn permanent. At the same time, you may feel embarrassed to have friends, co-workers or family see even the occasional Taco Bell wrappers or a pile of garbage in your back seat.

I have come up with 6 great tips to help keep your car looking new and spiffy!! The first two are…

1. Keep a trash bag in your car and empty every time you go to a gas station so that it does not continue to accumulate until it is overflowing.

2. Decide what needs to stay or go in your car. Remember,”EVERYTHING HAS A HOME.” Even in you car, if your kids get something out, they need to put it right back in it’s special home. Especially trash…IT GOES IN THE GARBAGE!

Come back on Wednesday to find out the next two!!!

Tips for Spring Cleaning

As a child, I would dread hearing the awful phrase, “it is time for SPRING CLEANING.” Now that I am a mother to four little ducklings, I have learned to love the phrase… it is music to my ears. Spring cleaning has turned into a family tradition, and in order to spring clean you should follow these 5 simple rules.

1. Make a schedule for each room and stick to it
2. Assign everyone a task
3. Spread the cleaning over several weekends
4. Try to make it fun
5. Make sure you reward the family with a special treat when you are finished

***This weekend for your homework assignment take out all your fake greenery in your house and spray it down with a hose, let it dry then put them back on your plant shelves, and in your house. Have a great an ORGANIZED weekend

Start at the Top when Cleaning a Room

Having an order and method to everything may seem a little over the top, but it really can help in all you’re cleaning. If you clean a room, from top to bottom and from one end to the other, you'll save yourself the hassle of dirtying things you've already cleaned and needing to clean them again.

For example, if you are deep cleaning a room…

1. clean the ceiling fan
2. dust the blinds
3. dust all the nick knacks on your furniture
4. dust the furniture
5. wipe down floor boards
6. vacuum the floor
7. mop the floor

Stay tuned for Friday’s top tips for spring cleaning!!

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!!